Speechless
by originella
Summary: Lily Potter is the eldest child and only daughter of Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Sorted into Gryffindor at the age of eleven, she is best friends with Rose Granger-Weasley, and constantly pitted against Slytherin Scorpius Longbottom-Malfoy. As time goes on, however, the heir to the House of Black and Potter families realizes that Scorpius may just be the one for her.
1. A Wave Meant To Wash Me Away

"Please state your name, in its entirety, for the record."

"Lily Luna Potter."

"Thank you, Lily. And your age?"

Lily straightened up deliberately in her seat. "Seventeen years and seven months."

"Your location of birth?"

"Islington, London, at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, back when my father, Harry Potter, owned it before he and my other father, Severus Snape, were married."

"Your Hogwarts House?"

"Gryffindor."

"And what classes are your best at Hogwarts?"

"Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures."

"In that order?"

Lily found herself smirking. "Depends on the day."

The examiner pressed on. "You are the only daughter of Auror Harry Potter and Potions Master Severus Snape, correct?"

Lily chewed on her lower lip. "To my knowledge, that's true."

"One younger sibling—Albus Severus Potter. Is that correct?"

Lily nodded. "Yes."

"Your magic manifested at what age?"

"I was two," Lily responded.

"How did it manifest?"

"My hair turned red."

"Your hair turned red?"

Lily's brows knit together at that. "Yes."

"Are you a Metamorphmagus?"

"No."

"And how are you aware of that?"

"Auror Nymphadora Tonks informed my fathers of that fact after she examined me to determine whether or not I was one."

"And, it seems, you've kept your red hair?"

Lily lowered her green eyes, taking in the red hair she saw which grew down past her shoulders and halfway down her back. "I did, yes. No spell, potion, magical or Muggle medicine could revert it back to its raven color."

"And are you able to produce a Patronus Charm?"

"I am."

"Are you an Animagus?"

"Yes."

"Are you registered?"

"Yes. My fathers took me for registration during the Christmas holidays during my third-year at Hogwarts. I went unregistered for three months, with special permission from Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, so as not to miss any classes."

"Are your Patronus Charm and Animagus form the same?"

"They are."

The examiner raised up a sheet of paper wandlessly, and permitted it to float across the room so as it was suspended in front of Lily's face. "Is this your Animagus registration form, with the signatures of both your fathers, Headmistress McGonagall, and Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt?"

Lily peered at the document before her and nodded. "It is."

"Confirm that your Animagus form is correctly written on the document, please."

Lily scanned the document quickly, her green eyes quickly roving over the page before her, until the words _Animagus Form_ stared back at her. She read what had been scrawled via quill into the line itself, before she nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

"What were the grades on your O.W.L.'s your fifth year?"

Lily leaned back in her offered chair. "Outstanding's in each subject, save for Defense Against the Dark Arts, in which I received an Exceeds Expectations."

The examiner's lips thinned then, and Lily wondered, as she had often did whenever she told anyone about her lowest O.W.L. grade, if the examiner was thinking if her father, Harry, was disappointed in that fact. "And your N.E.W.T's?" she asked.

"Outstanding's in all subjects," Lily replied, knowing she had to thank Rose for that, for her closest friend wouldn't allow her to get anything below an O ever again.

"Are you competent in wandless magic, Miss Potter?"

"Yes, since the summer before my fifth-year of Hogwarts. My father, Severus Snape, taught me with special permission."

"Demonstrate it for me, please."

Lily thought, _Shoo_, and the document before her zoomed rather quickly into the examiner's awaiting hands. "How was that?"

"Proficient, Miss Potter," the examiner replied, turning back to the list of questions. "What special superlatives have you received at Hogwarts?"

"I became President of the Charms Club during my third-year at Hogwarts. I made Prefect my fifth-year, and served that post until the end of my sixth year. As for seventh-year, I was made Head Girl of Gryffindor House."

"And you have a familiar?"

Lily swallowed. "Yes. My half-cat, half-Kneazle hybrid, Isis. Unfortunately, the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley was unaware of her hybrid status. I wasn't informed of it until I arrived at Hogwarts, but Headmistress McGonagall informed me that it wouldn't be an issue, as she and Isis had come to an understanding."

"Cats are permitted on the journey, never fear," the examiner said, lowering her eyes back towards the questions. "What do you consider your favorite spell?"

Lily hesitated for a moment. "Years ago, I would've said Accio. But now, I'd have to go with Expecto Patronum."

"Have you ever, or would you ever, use one of the Unforgivable Curses?"

Lily swallowed; the question made her skin crawl. "Not willingly," she replied. "The only two ways I would is if I was under the Imperious Curse already, or if I genuinely thought that one of my family members or friends were in certain danger."

The examiner lowered her quill for a moment and raised her eyes to Lily's. "If you thought that one of your family members or friends were in certain danger?"

Lily nodded. "Yes. That's what I said."

The examiner hesitated for a moment. "What about yourself?"

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You only mentioned defending your family or friends. What if you yourself were in certain danger. Would you then use an Unforgivable Curse?"

Lily sighed. "Not if I could avoid it."

The examiner nodded, finishing the questions and getting to her feet. "Are you ready for the second part of this trial?"

Lily swallowed, but nodded, nevertheless. "I am."

"This is your final time to back out of it."

Lily shook her head, locking eyes with the examiner. "I'm a Gryffindor," she said, her tone resolute as she squared her shoulders and got to her feet, "just like my father. Gryffindors don't back down easily."

. . .

_Lily could still hear the Sorting Hat shouting out that she and Rose had made Gryffindor, Teddy had made Hufflepuff, and Scorpius had been Sorted into Slytherin House. Albus, her studious younger brother and only sibling, made Slytherin himself when he started at Hogwarts during Lily's third year, and Lily got a promise from Scorpius that he would do his best to look out for him. She had been close with Albus growing up, and yet, now that they were rival houses, they would still make time for one another._

_Lily was almost two when she was told that she was a witch for the first time, and it was the very first thing she could remember throughout her life. Her dad, Harry, and her papa, Severus, had told her that fact just after she was informed about Albus coming into their family. It was quite a shock—a delightful one, mind you—that Lily was going to get a sibling. However, the shock had turned into downright fear when her beautiful raven locks suddenly turned red. It was then a matter of calling Tonks, a close friend of the family and a very talented Auror for the Ministry of Magic, as well as a Metamorphmagus, to look over Lily and she if she possessed the same talent her son, Teddy, had inherited from her._

_Tonks arrived in good time, falling dramatically out of the fireplace in the Potter household living room, and Teddy carefully stepped through the flames after her, watching with an air of patience as his mother casually dusted the soot off from her willowy frame. With her traditional greeting of, "Wotcher!", she grinned at Harry, Severus, and Lily respectively as she made her way across the room. Lily was quick to note that Tonks's hair turned a bright pink in her excitement as she grew closer._

"_She's no Metamorphmagus," Tonks said after a few moments of looking young Lily over. "I'd say that it was just her magic manifesting."_

"_Yes, but are you sure?" Severus questioned her, worried about his daughter._

_Tonks nodded. "Quite sure, Severus. You may not be my Potions Professor anymore, threatening to take points from Hufflepuff, but I still wouldn't lie to you."_

"_Noted," Severus said, permitting himself to smile._

_Harry, not one to give up easily, immediately stepped forward then, and, pointing his wand at his toddler daughter, shouted, "Finite!" and, although a bright red spark readily came forth from his wand, nothing about Lily changed._

"_Perhaps a potion would help," Severus said, and quickly summoned some books from his lab in the basement of the house._

"_Do you want me to contact Poppy?" Tonks asked._

_Harry sighed. "We'll let you know how the potions fare first."_

_Tonks nodded. "You got it," she said, putting a hand on her swollen belly. "And, it seems, that Baby Andromeda needs to be fed." She reached down and tugged Teddy—who had been sitting next to Lily—to his feet. "Come on, Ted. We're going to see your daddy in Diagon Alley, then we'll have some lunch before heading home. All right?"_

"_All right, Mummy," Teddy replied, following his mother back towards the fireplace, where the Floo would deposit them in the Leaky Cauldron._

_This was Lily's first memory, and she often went back to it whenever she couldn't sleep at night in her Gryffindor dormitory at Hogwarts. The Hogwarts years were wonderful, and she and Rose were the only ones in their second year class to master the Patronus Charm, a fact which her dad, Harry, was very proud. However, it was the day in her third year that she woke up in the form of a Scottish wildcat and yawned, thus awaking Rose in their dormitory just weeks after Albus had been sorted into Slytherin that caused Rose to scream._

_Lily opened her mouth then, to attempt to speak, but all that came out from the thin, fanged lips was a yowl of some kind. She couldn't fathom why Rose, her dearest friend and, for all intents and purposes, her cousin, would be acting this way. Of course, being thirteen-years-old meant that each girl—and a fair few boys—had just cause to be overly dramatic about certain things; however, Rose never showed that side of herself very often._

_It was then that Lily attempted to leave her bed and literally fell out on all-fours that she knew something was wrong, especially when she attempted to reach out for her wand, and only a clawed paw moved before her. Swallowing, she turned towards Rose then, and, deciding the best course of action would be to act submissive, she immediately lay down on her stomach, letting out a soft meow of some kind, and staring up at Rose, hoping against hope that her friend would know that she meant no harm._

_Hesitating for a moment, Rose drew her wand, and felt saddened when the creature before her tensed—she could tell by its beautiful green eyes that Lily was in there somewhere. Rose squeezed her eyes shut then, remembering a particularly wonderful birthday of hers at her grandparents' home of the Burrow, located in Devon. She remembered her father, laughing in a moment of Rose cheering when her grandmother had brought out her birthday cake, and everyone sang to her. Her father had lifted her up then, kissing her temple before swinging her around and around, and then was she permitted to blow out the candles._

_Rose's eyes snapped open then. "Expecto Patronum!" she managed to cry out then, and the red fox effortlessly appeared from her wand, and looked at her in a docile manner. "Headmistress McGonagall, I don't know what else to do! I've just awoken, and the other third-years are down at breakfast already, but there is a literal Scottish wildcat here with me. Please help!" she cried out then._

_The red fox bowed its head to Rose, letting her know that the message had been received accordingly, before running for the door of the dormitory, and Rose then crossed the room towards the cat. Lily, from within the cats' body, lifted up her head, and let out a pleasant noise when Rose stepped forward completely, before reaching out a careful hand and scratched her closest friend behind the furred ears. She leaned into the touch, finding it most pleasant, but soon reared back in a moment of terror when the door burst open, and Minerva and Severus stood in the doorway, which made Lily dart against the wall._

"_Oh, my goodness!" the headmistress cried out._

"_Oh, my goodness is right!" Severus said, a look of pure glee on his face as he stepped towards Lily without hesitation, and sat down on her bed. "Up now," he said gently to the cat, and Lily hopped back onto her bed, and climbed into Severus's lap without hesitation. "It seems as though my girl here is an Animagus," he said proudly, staring into his daughter's green eyes, and she let out a soft meow at her father's undivided attention. "Well, having a bit of trouble turning back, are we?" he asked indulgently, turning to Minerva. "Perhaps you could speak to Lily, if you wouldn't mind, Minerva."_

_Minerva smiled and nodded. "Of course. We cats speak a very unique language," she said, and promptly transformed into the beautiful house cat she was. Hopping onto the bed, but remaining at the foot to give Severus and his daughter plenty of space, she stared directly into Lily's eyes without flinching. The key is to concentrate, Minerva told her._

_Lily blinked. Am I seriously hearing you right now, headmistress?_

_You are indeed, my dear. Now, are you Lily Luna Potter, only daughter and eldest child of Auror Harry Potter and Professor Severus Snape, only sibling of Albus Potter, and best friend of Rose Granger-Weasley?_

_The same, Lily replied without hesitation._

_Very well, Minerva said. You must shut your eyes. Actually permit the fur to fall away from your body, and your claws to return to fingernails. You will slowly feel your ears morph in size and shape, and they will return to the sides of your head. Walking upright will once again seem natural to you, and you will return to the girl you truly are._

_Lily licked her lips. I will try... Lily focused then, remembering being a human, and felt her teeth promptly dulling and going back into her head. She reared upwards then, her fur and claws retracting immediately, and her ears moved back into their proper places. Lily stretched out her fingers then, and felt a sigh of relief flow through her when she saw that fingers were where the paws once had been._

"_Papa!" Lily cried out then, throwing herself into Severus's arms, and finally she began to permit herself to feel safe again._

. . .

_The rest of Lily's and Rose's third-year passed without much incident, other than Rose becoming the Seeker for Gryffindor's Quidditch team. The girls were pleased when fourth-year arrived, however, for that year, there was to be some turnover within the clubs at Hogwarts, and Lily and Rose became President of the Charms and Transfiguration Clubs respectively, while Rose had justly been promoted to Keeper on the Quidditch Team. The year continued smoothly as the girls achieved the respective age of fourteen, and as they found an empty compartment on the train, for they were each returning home for the Christmas holiday, they finally permitted themselves to relax._

"_Happy about the holidays?" Rose asked as the compartment door opened again, permitting Albus, Scorpius, and Teddy to join them._

_Lily nodded, forcing herself not to flush as Teddy sat down next to her, while Scorpius and Albus sat close to the door, eager to dash off the train upon arrival at the station. "Of course I am," she said emphatically. "Of course, the Christmas party at the Burrow is always wonderful every year..." She darted to her feet then as the trolley came by their compartment, but felt a soft hand upon her arm, and her eyes met Teddy's._

"_I'll get your sweets, Lily," he said gently, and slowly opened the compartment door. "Two Butterbeers, two Cauldron Cakes, a licorice wand, and three sugar quills," he said, handing over the galleons before Scorpius stepped in after him. "Here you are," he said to Lily, stepping back inside and handing one of the Butterbeers and the Cauldron Cakes over to her, while Scorpius ordered some Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans for him and Albus to share._

_Lily flushed deeply. "Thank you," she said, and fumbled in her pocket. "Here, let me pay you back for these..."_

"_No, it's all right," Teddy assured her, gently closing her fingers around her money as Rose stepped forward and around Scorpius to procure some Chocolate Frogs and Jelly Slugs. "It was my pleasure, really."_

"_T-thank you," she stammered, lowering her eyes._

"_Careful, Teddy," second-year Albus teased from across the compartment. "She only stammers when she really wants something."_

"_I'll risk expulsion to jinx you," Lily growled, narrowing her eyes at her brother._

"_They wouldn't dare expel you," Rose said, quickly coming to her best friend's defense. "You're the daughter of the savior of the Wizarding World."_

"_Doesn't matter, I'd be breaking the rules," Lily muttered._

"_I wouldn't stand with you," Scorpius joked, putting an arm around Albus's shoulders. "After all, Slytherins have to stick together."_

"_Hufflepuffs don't think like that," Teddy assured Lily with a smile, and ignoring Scorpius, which caused the firstborn Longbottom-Malfoy to roll his eyes, directly causing Albus to laugh heartily. "So, you're going over to the Burrow for the party?"_

_Lily slowly tipped her Butterbeer into her mouth. "Yeah. I mean, Dad and Papa always take me and Al, so..."_

_Teddy smiled slowly then, reaching into his pocket and producing a handkerchief, which he used to gently clean the thin layer of Butterbeer foam upon Lily's upper lip, which caused her to flush even more deeply. "I suppose I'll see you there, then."_

_Lily nodded. "I suppose you will..."_

"_Perhaps... Well, perhaps you and I could be there, you know, together," Teddy continued. "As a date, if you want."_

_At the question, Lily very nearly dropped her Butterbeer and sent her Cauldron Cakes crashing to the ground. "Are you being serious right now?" she asked._

_Teddy smiled easily. "Yeah. I've been wanting to ask you out since last summer, but there never seemed to be a good time to do it. So... Do you want to go out?"_

"_Yes. Yeah," Lily said, nodding emphatically. "I'd love to," she told him._

_As Lily and Teddy continued speaking, neither saw the expressions of the other three members of their compartment—Rose looked very pleased; Albus looked less than interested; and Scorpius looked shocked beyond belief._

. . .

_Lily knew that Rose would be bitterly disappointed to tell Aunt Hermione that she'd lost out on making Prefect, because Lily had gotten it instead. After having a conversation with Headmistress McGonagall—in their Animagus forms—that Lily had not gotten that position of power on the first night of her fifth year just because of her name filled her with relief. Amid the congratulations of both of her fathers—as well as the Weasleys, Longbottom-Malfoys, and the Scamander families—she still felt bad for Rose, although she was so busy with Quidditch anyhow, because she was being groomed for the captain position, now that the current captain was in his seventh-year._

_Teddy, normally the attentive type, was often running about, attending to his duties as the male Prefect for Hufflepuff and Captain of the Gobstones Club, as well as instructing Lily and Rose to keep an eye on Hope, his youngest sister, as she had been sorted into Gryffindor, just as his other sister, Andromeda, had been three years before. Other than that, Lily, Rose, Teddy, and Scorpius had to entertain the various study hall periods that their professors had in store for them, given that they were due to take their O.W.L.'s in eight months' time. As Rose played Quidditch, Scorpius tended to his duties as a Slytherin Prefect and President of the Dueling Club respectively, while Lily merely sat around, doing her best to study, while taking care of her Prefect and President of the Charms Club duties seriously. She knew she had to pass her O.W.L.'s, because, even though they never said it, she knew that her fathers had high hopes for her once she graduated from Hogwarts._

"_We shouldn't worry too much, should we?" Lily asked Teddy, on a rare moment of peace, as they trudged through Hogsmeade on the final trip before the Christmas holidays. "I mean, we're studying as much as we reasonably can, combined with the mandatory curriculum, and our duties as Prefects and club presidents..."_

_Teddy nodded, squeezing Lily's hand as best he could, were it not for the thick gloves they wore to ward off the cold. They were dressed similarly that day—thick coats, boots—the only difference being that Lily wore furred earmuffs and Teddy a hat. "We should definitely not worry too much," he assured her, leaning in and kissing her temple._

_Lily leaned down so as her head rested briefly on Teddy's shoulder. "We're not late, are we?" she asked him softly._

"_Late?"_

"_To meet Scorpius and Rose at Madam Puddifoot's," Lily replied with a giggle. "He must really love her if he's willing to go there with her..."_

_Teddy laughed aloud. "Well, they've been together for six months. He's likely to keep doing what she says for the time being."_

_Something in Teddy's tone set Lily off, and she carefully raised her head. "But, that's not what this is, is it?" she asked as they continued down the snow-covered lane, in the direction of Madam Puddifoot's._

_Teddy blinked, turning to look down at Lily, for he had a good five or six inches on her. "What do you mean?"_

"_This. Us," Lily said, gesturing between them as they walked down the lane with brick buildings on either side. "You're not just doing what I'm saying, are you?"_

_Teddy shook his head. "Of course not. We've been together nearly a year. That went out the window six months ago."_

_Lily nodded, unsure, as they stepped to the end of the lane and into the warmth of Madam Puddifoot's, which smelled today of fresh gingersnap biscuits, dried flowers, and various kinds of tea leaves. Lily smiled and waved to Rose and Scorpius, who sat at a table for four witches or wizards by a window. They promptly walked over there, sitting together, and ordered cups of tea and biscuits, and talked about their upcoming Christmas holidays._

_Lily allowed her eyes to drift around the room, taking in the Christmas aesthetic of the place and the various other customers there. She swallowed then as she saw two goddesses sat at one table, and knew that, without a doubt, these were truly some of the best-looking witches and she'd ever laid eyes upon. This fact had come to her early on in life, as both possessed Veela blood, and they were the daughters of Bill and Fleur Weasley. Victoire and Dominique, both Gryffindors, and both blonde goddesses like their beautiful mother, were in their third and first-years at Hogwarts respectively, but each possessed a confidence from within them that made them appear far older. In recent years, students who were exemplary in their subjects were permitted to be chaperoned to Hogsmeade with parental consent, as well as a family member willing to look after them during the duration of their trip._

_Rose saved Lily from self-pity by pulling her back into the conversation, due to Victoire staring blatantly at Teddy, which she always seemed to do, and Lily did her best to keep up with it. She had no idea what her fathers had planned for that holiday, but she, her fathers, Al, Kreacher, Isis, Dulcis, and Al's owl, Wafic, always had a wonderful time. Soon it was time to head back—so as Teddy and Lily could supervise the students' return, and so Scorpius and Rose could to meet up with Albus at Honeydukes._

_It didn't sit well with Lily as they got ready, as she noticed Victoire sipping her cup of tea, while urging Dominique to hurry up, that Victoire never took her eyes off from Teddy. Lily shook her head as they pulled on their coats and stepped back out into the snow, feeling as if a stone was thudding in her throat. She bit her lip, feeling Teddy's hand in hers, and wondered if she should brooch the subject._

"_Victoire and Dominique were in there," she said casually._

"_Were they?" Teddy asked. "I didn't notice."_

"_Really?" Lily asked as the pair of them exited the lane and went back on the main road, back towards Hogwarts. "She certainly seemed to notice you..."_

_Teddy scoffed. "She's far too young for me, Lily."_

_Lily swallowed. "Well... What if she wasn't too young?"_

_Teddy looked down at Lily for a moment before he stared straight ahead. "It wouldn't matter one way or the other," he replied as they cut down another lane, which was a little-known shortcut back to the castle. "I'm with you."_

"_But what if you weren't with me? Would you...pursue her?"_

_Teddy rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous."_

_Lily shook her head. "Not really. She comes from a good family, she's beautiful, and she's clearly interested in you..."_

"_So?" Teddy asked, making a face. "Clearly I'm not interested in her. I've got a girlfriend, Lily, which is a fact I know you're well-aware of."_

"_But she's beautiful..."_

"_Yeah, so?" Teddy said, shrugging. "I didn't notice."_

"_Didn't notice?"_

"_No," Teddy said, and laughed. "Stop worrying so much."_

_Lily blinked. "Excuse me?"_

"_You're worrying," Teddy said, stopping short to stare down at her. "You're worrying about nothing, because there's nothing to worry about."_

_Lily shook her head. "But..."_

"_No buts." Teddy laughed again, tipping her chin up. "So what if she's beautiful? I chose you, didn't I?"_

_Without hesitation, Lily's wand found her gloved hand immediately and she slammed Teddy up against one of the buildings without hesitation. "You know, they said that my other father belonged in Slytherin," she muttered, while Teddy stared down at her with wide eyes, as she slowly brought the tip of her wand to his throat. "But, one thing that I'm sure witches and wizards can agree upon is not being lied to."_

_Teddy sputtered, trying to get away from Lily's grip upon him. "Lily, I swear to Merlin that I haven't been—"_

"_Don't make me use Legilimens on you!" Lily thundered. "Don't say you chose me like I'm some object that you can order around whenever you like!"_

"_Lily, for Helga's sake, I didn't mean that—"_

"_Oh, don't mince words with me!" Lily snapped. "I saw you looking at her!"_

"_Lily—"_

_Lily's eyes blazed. "Legil—!"_

"_Expelliarmus," said a calm voice from behind her, and Lily's wand went flying from her hand and into a patch of snow behind her. "Ah, Lily, Mr. Lupin," said Severus, stepping into their midst, and Lily immediately darted back, her face flushing with shame as she stuffed her wand back into her pocket. "I believe you two were supposed to be watching the younger students returning from Hogsmeade, as this is the day when the seventh-years are studying for their N.E.W.T.'s, and the sixth-years deemed it trivial."_

_Teddy nodded. "Yes, professor. I'm sorry, sir. We were—"_

"_No, Mr. Lupin. You were just leaving. Go along now, before Hufflepuff finds itself in fourth place for the House Cup."_

_Teddy swallowed, but nodded, giving Lily a half-hearted, "See you later," before he dashed off towards the castle._

"_Papa, I was—"_

_Severus held up a bony finger then, whispering, "Expecto Patronum," she his silver doe appeared from the tip of his wand. "Scorpius, go and do your Prefect duty to Slytherin House and assist Mr. Lupin in making sure the younger years don't hurt themselves in their return. Lily is otherwise engaged for the moment," he drawled, and the doe bowed to her caster, before she flitted off in the direction of Honeydukes._

"_Papa," Lily tried again._

_Severus sighed, stepping forward and placing his arm on Lily's shoulder, whereupon the pair Disapparated and then Apparated in Severus's private rooms at the castle, which were hardly used, as he, Lily, and Albus were permitted to return home most nights, if they wished it. "I taught you____Legilimency__ because you seemed to have the aptitude for it, and because Albus wasn't ever interested," Severus said firmly to his daughter. "I did not ever intend for you to use it during a trivial argument on your boyfriend." Severus swallowed then, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "In that moment, you were more Snape than Potter."_

_Lily blinked. "What?"_

"_You were the spitting image of me in my younger years, Lily!" Severus snapped, drawing his hand down and shaking his head at his daughter. "Harry and I did not raise either of our children to act that way, no matter what the situation. Whatever possessed you to do such a thoughtless thing, let alone to someone you care about?"_

"_He was lying to me," Lily replied with a shrug. "What was I supposed to do?"_

"_Believe him," Severus replied with a shrug, "and then slip some Veritaserum in his morning pumpkin juice."_

_Lily grinned then. "You'll get me some?!" she cried out._

"_Don't be ridiculous—of course I won't!" Severus said, rolling his eyes. "Thankfully, in that moment, you were just like Harry..."_

"_I didn't mean it, Papa," Lily said, sighing and rolling her shoulders. "It's just that Victoire Weasley is part-Veela, and she's beautiful..."_

"_Lily, you're beautiful," Severus said, stepping forward and kissing his daughter's forehead. "I don't want Teddy to be branded a liar, of course, but if he is, chuck him. You've only just reached your sixteenth birthday. You've time enough to find the right one."_

_Lily sighed. "But what if he doesn't exist?"_

_Severus smiled. "I didn't think he did. I was in my thirties when my head finally permitted itself to slip out from my arse and I found your father."_

_Lily grinned. "Dad won't take too kindly to you saying that, Papa."_

_Severus laughed aloud. "Don't worry about him. I can handle him."_

. . .

_It was in the middle of her tirade about Lily getting an Exceeds Expectations in Defense Against the Dark Arts on their O.W.L.'s that Rose wouldn't stop talking about the benefits in getting O's in each subject, which she'd somehow managed to do. Lily rolled her eyes as they stood in the middle of the annual summer gathering at Longbottom Lodge, and allowed her punch to swirl itself in her cup. _

"_Okay, can we change the subject, please?" Lily asked._

_Rose sighed. "Very well," she replied. "How are things with Teddy?"_

_Lily shrugged. "Not too bad. We've been studying like mad, but we still find time to do some of our studies together, thank goodness... And you and Scorpius?"_

_Rose looked uncertain. "I don't know. He's been distant lately. I think..." She sighed, looking around to make sure that anyone—least of all Scorpius's observant sister, Alice—wasn't listening in to their conversation. "I think it could be the end."_

_Lily sighed. "I'm sorry."_

_Rose smiled. "I'm not. Better to know now, before we're married and old." She hesitated for a moment before stepping closer to Lily. "Have you and Teddy done anything other than snogging one another?"_

_Lily turned pink. "Have we what?"_

"_Well, I mean, you don't exactly talk about it..."_

"_That's because it's private!" she snapped. "How about you and Scorpius?"_

"_No, now that you mention it," Rose said, truly looking as if she was considering that for the first time. "We haven't. And you're sure you haven't?"_

_When she looked up again, to answer a question Rose had posed to her, Lily's mouth dropped open as Victoire Weasley placed a hand on Teddy's arm, and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Lily felt herself turning red from the top of her forehead, to the tips of her ears, and, finally, to the base of her chin. She couldn't believe it—Victoire was practically pawing at Teddy in front of her, and he was just letting it happen!_

"_That does it!" Lily snapped, shoving her glass of punch into Rose's hands, and Rose immediately stopped talking. Lily crossed the room then, elbowed Victoire out of the way, and snogged Teddy for all he was worth._

"_Lily," Teddy said, looking shocked at the display._

_Lily smiled. "Spur of the moment," she said, turning around, and saw that Scorpius looked beyond angry, which made Rose shout at him that their relationship was over._

. . .

_In the months that followed Albus's appointment of President of the Potion's Club and Rose's advancement to Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Lily kept her head down with her second year of Prefect duties as her sixth year began and continued. She felt as if a storm was brewing on the horizon, and it reached the peak on the final day of sixth year, when Teddy informed her that their relationship was over. Lily's heart burst at his words, and, mere minutes after it had happened, Rose confirmed that she heard that Teddy and Victoire were officially a couple._

_Lily stood at the drink table at Longbottom Lodge that evening, during the end-of-the-year celebrations that she now seemed to force herself to attend. She was already seventeen, and was a shoo-in for Head Girl the following school year, and yet felt as if something had died inside of her in one fell swoop. She sighed, turning back to the drink table, and made a grab for the bottle of Firewhiskey, and soon found herself fuzzy and forgetting her troubles._

"_Lily!" Scorpius cried as he came forward, giving her a hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "I am so excited that we're going to be..." He hiccupped. "...seventh-years!"_

_Lily looked around then, and noticed that they were pretty alone, and, thinking fast, pulled Scorpius from the main room, around the corner, and up the massive staircase towards Scorpius's bedroom. She sent up Silencing Charms then, before turning to look at Scorpius, whose eyes had darkened._

"_Lily..." He whispered. "...I've always loved you..."_

"_Don't," she whispered back, stepping forward and falling into his arms. "Just make me forget everything about tonight. Please."_

_Scorpius nodded, and their lips met as they tumbled backwards onto his bed._

. . .

_After the announcement that Lily, Scorpius, and Teddy were the Head Girl of Gryffindor, and Head Boys of Slytherin and Hufflepuff respectively, things seemed to be calm for their seventh-year at Hogwarts. Lily was relieved that Scorpius didn't bring up her impulsive behavior three months before at Longbottom Lodge, and she wasn't about to bring it up either. A lump in her throat, which never seemed to want to leave, Lily focused on her Head Girl duties and studying with her N.E.W.T.'s with Rose, who helped her whenever she wasn't busy planning strategy in her final year as Gryffindor's Quidditch captain._

_Christmas soon arrived and Lily went to the Burrow with her fathers and Al, who was eager to hang out with Scorpius during the holidays. Lily slipped away from most of the group, nursing a glass of Firewhiskey and remaining in the corner by herself. It was when Luna and Rolf Scamander arrived, sending their sons off and into the fray, that they spotted her and almost immediately stepped forward._

"_How are you, dear?" Luna asked._

"_Fine, thanks, Luna. And you two?"_

"_We're great, as always," Rolf told her._

_Luna sat beside Lily then, smiling at her namesake. "Actually, it's kismet that Rolf and I found you tonight," she said, smiling._

_Lily blinked, sipping her Firewhiskey. "Is it?"_

"_Very much so," Rolf replied, sitting on Luna's other side. "Actually, there's an upcoming project that Luna and I are putting together for recent Hogwarts graduates."_

_Lily straightened up then; she had no set plans post-graduation, as she knew that most jobs wanted to know how you did on your N.E.W.T.'s before a final decision could be made. "All right, I'm listening," she said._

"_You'll have to answer a questionnaire, followed by a Pensieve analysis beforehand," Luna told Lily quickly. "After that, you'll be sent abroad—the site is to-be-determined—for some Magizoology field work."_

"_Field work? Like discovery and research?"_

"_Exactly," Rolf said, nodding._

"_So, are you interested?" Luna asked._

_Lily swirled her Firewhiskey around in the goblet she held. "When would the questionnaire and analysis be performed?" she asked._

"_Not until after you sit your N.E.W.T.'s," Rolf assured her._

"_Sometime in late-May, we think," Luna said._

_Lily nodded. "All right. I'll do it," she said, and forced a smile to her lips._

. . .

Lily was slightly fuzzy upon leaving the Pensieve analysis, but nevertheless managed to Apparate back to Hogwarts, where she promptly fell asleep. Now that she'd sat her N.E.W.T.'s and gotten the results, there wasn't much to do. Most of the seventh-years had cleared out of the dormitory anyhow, opting to stay at home and Apparate back to campus at will. Lily just wanted some uninterrupted sleep, and knew full well that both her fathers would want to question her endlessly on how the analysis had gone.

The end-of-the-year feast seemed to come like lightning, one day before she, Rose, Scorpius, and Teddy were due to graduate. Lily sat beside Rose at the Gryffindor table, and slowly ate the roast chicken and sipped some Butterbeer. Rose was talking about how they had bested Slytherin in getting the Quidditch Cup, but it was still undetermined if they would get the House Cup for the year as well.

"Uh, Lily?"

Lily turned around then, not really interested in Rose recounting that season's game replay, and smiled up at the young man who spoke to her. "Hey, Aiden," she said.

Aiden Finnigan was a seventh-year Gryffindor as well, son and oldest child of Seamus Finnigan and Lavender Brown. While neither had been particularly close, they had been at several events together throughout childhood and young adulthood, and were always on good terms. "I just wanted to let you know that I was chosen, too."

Lily blinked. "What?"

"For the Magizoology trip," Aiden explain.

Lily nodded, vaguely remembering the day when Dulcis had brought her an owl from London and from Luna and Rolf, letting her know that she'd been chosen for the trip. "Oh. So, I guess you and I are work partners now?"

Aiden grinned. "Looks that way." He put out a hand to Lily, and she took it. "After graduation tomorrow, I guess I'll see you in Scandinavia."

Lily nodded, and smiled back at him. "I guess you will."

The next twenty-four hours were essentially a blur; Lily, Rose, Scorpius, Teddy, and Aiden graduated with their class, and all their family members were there to witness it all. It was an overwhelming experience, knowing that she would never walk through the castle as a student anymore, and would only come back on visits, perhaps with her own children one day. Later that night, after dinner, Albus and Lily said goodbye to Harry and Severus and went through the Floo to Longbottom Lodge, for the final end-of-the-year party hosted by Scorpius, as Alice would take over hosting duties from next year on.

Lily made sure to stay away from the Firewhiskey, although she felt her stomach form knots as Scorpius found her through the crowd and stepped forward. "Hey," she said quietly.

Scorpius sighed. "Wow. A word. You've barely spoken to me all year."

Lily swallowed. "You know as well as I do how busy we've all been, Scorpius," she replied, and did her best to keep her tone level.

Scorpius dragged a hand through his blond hair. "I know, Lily. I'm sorry. That didn't come out like I wanted it to."

Lily nodded. "It's fine."

Scorpius stepped closer then, and Lily immediately drew back. "Look, I didn't come here for pleasantries," he said, and Lily nodded. "I... I think we should talk about last year..."

Lily shook her head. "There's no reason to."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"There's no reason to discuss it, Scorpius, because there's nothing to talk about."

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Look, we were drunk, and it was a mistake. I know you didn't really mean what you said that night anyway," Lily said. "It was the Firewhiskey talking, it had to be."

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't understand. What did I say that you didn't think I could possibly mean towards you?"

Lily sighed. "You said you loved me."

"I do, Lily!" Scorpius said, throwing up his hands. "I've loved you since we were kids! Why can't you believe that?!"

Lily heard a glass shattering from behind her, and, upon turning around, she saw Rose standing just a foot away from her. "Rose," Lily said quickly.

"You love her?" Rose whispered to Scorpius, and Scorpius sighed.

"Yeah, Rose. I do."

"Then Godric help you both!" she shouted, running towards the fireplace, and Flooing home immediately.

Lily rounded on Scorpius then, death in her eyes. "Have a nice life, Scorpius, because I sure as hell won't be here to see it."

Scorpius blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"I leave by Portkey to an undisclosed location first thing in the morning," Lily said, lowering her own glass onto the drink table.

"Where?"

"That stopped being your business a long time ago," Lily said flatly, before turning towards the Floo and tossing some powder into the flames, before she called out her home, and stepped into the flames as they roared to life, leaving Longbottom Lodge, and her past, behind.


	2. A Tide That Is Taking Me Under

Harry couldn't help but stare at his daughter, the loss of her leaving hitting him hard. "Now, you're sure you've got everything?"

Lily turned around at the familiarity of her dad's voice and smiled indulgently at him, from where he stood in the doorway of her bedroom, his shoulders overtaken with her papa's massive arms, while all the while Al sat on the chair attached to Lily's desk. "Yeah, I've got everything, Dad," she said, bending down to shrink down her trunk, once she'd locked it.

"Where is the portkey collecting you and Aiden?" Severus asked his daughter.

"Aunt Hermione's arranged for a safe-room at the Ministry of Magic," Lily said. "Minister Shacklebolt owed her a favor. Aiden and I have to arrive before ten, and the portkey picks us up at precisely ten-fifteen."

"I always liked Aiden," Al said from across the room, and each member of his family turned to look at the youngest member of the family. "He was cool. He was in charge of that study group for younger students. He specialized in history of magic."

"He was also adept at potions," Severus put in, and Harry turned to look at his husband. "He never had anything blow up in his face, unlike his father..."

Harry rolled his eyes and gently pulled at Severus's robes. "You know as well as I do that many of your students were unlike their parents."

Severus stared down at his husband with love. "How could I forget?"

Lily scoffed, rolling her eyes as she perched onto her bed, and Isis, her constant companion and familiar, awoke from her nap upon her pillow and walked into her lap. "I've been told that the flat I'll be living in over there has been prepared nicely for me and Isis."

"Are you and Aiden staying together?" Harry asked.

Lily shrugged. "Somewhat, I guess. It's not so much a flat as it is a large house. It's been blocked off in the center, creating two separate living quarters, each boasting its own kitchen, bedroom, living room, and work room."

"Does Aiden have a familiar?" Severus wanted to know, obviously relieved that Lily wouldn't be cohabitating with a red-blooded wizard.

"Yeah, he does, Papa," Al said, rolling his eyes, for he recalled spreading this information to him at least half a dozen times. "His parents got him a Crup last Christmas."

"Ah, yes, right," Severus said, hating that such trivial information—no matter how useful it was deemed by his son—had seemed to slip his mind. "And what has Aiden named him?"

"Aiden named the little thing Ignatius," Lily said helpfully as Isis yawned from her lap, stretching out as much as she could. "Of course, he's not so little now. Once Aiden and I got word about us being selected, we knew we had to introduce Isis and Ignatius. Thankfully, all went smoothly, and they reached an understanding. Haven't you, Isis?" Lily asked, looking down indulgently at her feline hybrid, and was rewarded with Isis getting to her feet and nuzzling her face briefly.

"I should've known that Isis was half-Kneazle," Harry put in quietly, and Lily looked up at him as he spoke. "Given your aunt Hermione has had Crookshanks in her care for years."

"It's lucky she got him back after the war," Lily put in softly, scratching beneath Isis's chin, which directly caused the animal's throat to vibrate in a purr.

"Your aunt Ginny took good care of him, I suspect," Severus replied. "She adores cats. Poor Dean, thankfully, isn't allergic so that Gideon, Dagmar, and Tullia can all have cats for their familiars at Hogwarts."

"Papa, they go by Gid, Mara, and Lia," Al said, smacking his palm onto his forehead, so much so that he resembled Harry so much at that age. "They won't take too kindly to you calling them by their full names."

Lily smirked then; she'd noticed how protective Al had been over Lia during her first year at Hogwarts—which had been the previous school year—and how that protective nature had extended to before their school mate years as well. "Perhaps your loyalty to them is because of another matter entirely," she put in, and Isis settled quickly in her lap, permitting her mistress to know that she was correct.

Al looked over at his sister. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that your compassion towards Lia may prove, one day, not to be strictly platonic," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Al quickly turned red to his ears. "I never said anything about that!"

Lily smiled. "You didn't have to."

Al glared at his sister and, without hesitation, grabbed the pillow upon the chair of her desk and threw it had her; he'd wanted to conjure one but, as he was still underage, he could risk expulsion for such things. "Stop it!" he shouted.

"Hey!" Lily cried out, and Isis, appearing annoyed, wandered back to the pillow which she had previously been occupying.

"Lily!" Severus snapped, while all the while Harry crossed his arms in frustration. "Lily, you know that teasing your brother is unacceptable—I don't care how old you are."

"But, Papa—!" Lily cried.

"Lily," Severus said warningly.

Lily lowered her eyes. "Right. I'm sorry, Al."

Al smirked at her. "You'd better be."

"And you, Albus," Harry said, turning towards his son, which caused Al's smirk to be wiped from his face. "I realize that what Lily said made you upset, but that is no reason to throw a pillow at her."

Al muttered under his breath for a moment, but saw that he was beaten. "All right. I'm sorry, Lily," he said softly.

Lily sighed, squaring her shoulders and drawing out her wand. It was a twelve and a half inch cherry wood, Thestral hair core, and was considered to be unyielding. It was a wand that Mr. Ollivander had only just carved a week before Lily was due to buy her first wand, and it was also his first time using Thestral hair as a core, which had not been used since The Elder Wand had been created. It was quite a shock to him when one so young seemed destined for this wand, of course, it had faded when he realized who Lily was...

"_Ah, Mr. Potter, how lovely to see you again," the kindly old wizard has said upon Harry's arrival in the shop, Lily at his side._

_Lily, up until her third-year at Hogwarts, had been relatively small for her age, so she was not unused to others—Muggles and witches and wizards alike—not taking note of her. As her father talked to the aging man with wispy silver hair and kind eyes, she permitted herself to wander about the shop. She'd been told from an early age never to touch anything that didn't belong to her without permission, and she took her father's words to hear as she milled about the rows and rows of small, yet long boxes around her, stacked up in random order upon the musky-smelling and splintering-looking shelves._

_She now knew all about Hogwarts; even though her father's had known from the age of two, when her magic had manifested, that she was destined to attend their school, ever since she had gotten her acceptance letter, everything felt different. Her dad had explained that the pair of them would go on a great journey into Diagon Alley, and that they would get all her schoolbooks, new robes, her wand, and, if she wanted it, an animal friend to bring with her on her journey to school. The letter had explicitly stated that she was permitted to bring an owl, a cat, or a toad, and Lily desperately wanted a cat from the time she was a little girl._

_The lull of her father's conversation with Mr. Ollivander flitted back into Lily's ears as she traipsed through the aisles that the shelves created. She heard nothing but their voices and her footsteps; that is, until a soft humming sound emitted from a box atop a platform, which Lily could see in the small workshop area in the back of the shop. Cautiously, Lily stepped closer towards it, and the humming grew louder, almost as if its goal was to draw Lily as close to it as possible. Lily flexed her fingers as she wandered closer; the box was tilted slightly and, in a bed of velvet, a cherrywood stick seemed to be moving within the space provided in the box which was quite similar to the ones on the shelves behind her._

"_What are you?" she whispered to the thing. Stepping closer, she felt awed then as the stick shot from the box and floated into her hand. Lily had imagined such a thing, and hadn't realized that she was commanding the thing to do so the entire time. "Oh, my..." Her words were cut off then as she stared at the end of the stick, and a silvery light came out from it, gently blowing her hair back then, and the gasp which escaped her lips alerted her father and Mr. Ollivander._

"_Lily," Harry said, seeing what his daughter was up to as he stepped forward. "What have your father and I told you about touching things that don't belong to you?"_

"_Mr. Potter, don't chastise her," Mr. Ollivander said gently, for he saw the light from the wand before it faded out, as well as Lily's hair blown backwards. He stepped closer to the young girl and stood before her. "What happened, my dear?" he asked._

"_There was humming," Lily said softly then, and she didn't notice her father's eyebrows shooting upwards. "I followed the sound, and it led me to this," she went on, lowering her eyes to the wand, still in her fingers. "I... I must have commanded it, in my mind, to come into my hands, because, a moment later, it was coming towards me." Lily shook her head then, almost not believing it herself. "Then, there was this silvery light, and a soft wind, and I felt as if I was safer than I've ever been in my entire life."_

"_This is a very special wand, Miss Potter," Mr. Ollivander said softly, and Lily raised her eyes to his. "No wand, other than The Elder Wand, has ever had a core made from Thestral hair," he went on, and Harry sucked in a breath from behind his daughter. "The notion that you are destined for a wand that shares a core with the wand your father used to save the Wizarding World is very curious."_

_Lily lowered her eyes to the wand; most of its body was very smooth, save for its base, which was beautifully carved, and had a clear ball of a jewel nestled inside it. "What's the purpose of this, sir?" she asked, allowing her fingers to go over it carefully._

"_It is tasked to change to the color according to the house you are sorted into," Mr. Ollivander replied with a smile. "Red for Gryffindor, blue for Ravenclaw, yellow for Hufflepuff, and green for Slytherin."_

"_Mine will turn red," Lily replied without hesitation, and, although shocked at her assurance of that fact, Mr. Ollivander smiled down at her._

"_The wand chooses the witch, Miss Potter, and the Sorting Hat chooses the house. It is not always clear why, but, in this case, perhaps it is."_

"Tempus," Lily whispered, allowing her mind back into the present, swishing her wand, and realizing that it was seven minutes before ten o'clock. "Oh," she said, lowering her wand and gazing briefly at the red orb in its base, "it's time to go."

"You sure you've got everything?" Harry asked again, watching as Lily draped her cloak over her robed form and placed her suitcase, and Isis's, into its pocket.

Lily nodded. "I'm fine, really," she assured him, flashing him a smile as she gathered Isis into her arms with a good-natured smile. "I'll fire-call you later to let you know I've made it to the flat all right."

Severus stepped forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. "We all love you, you know. You do know that?"

Lily laughed, kissing his cheek. "Yes, I know," she told him, allowing Harry to pull her into his arms next. "I'll be all right, I promise."

"I know you will," Harry told her, not wanting to let his daughter go, but knowing that he had to, and finally stepped back.

Lily turned towards her brother then; he was two inches taller than she was, a five-feet-seven, and he was likely to grow a bit more before stopping. "Al," she said softly.

"Lily," he replied. Al hesitated for a moment then before stepping closer to his sister and wrapping his arms around her. "Promise to bring me back presents?"

Lily laughed then, shoving him away from her, but nodded, nevertheless. "So many that you'll be sick of them."

Al shook his head, dashing the unshed tears from his eyes. "Never."

Lily bit her lip then, and turned back towards her father's. "I'll talk to you soon."

Severus nodded. "Be careful."

"Have fun," Harry told her.

Lily forced a smile onto her face then, and raised a hand to them both. "I will," she said, her tone resolute as she vanished with a crack.

. . .

Lily arrived outside the Ministry of Magic, stepping quickly out of the alley and easily concealing Isis in her coat. Isis, meanwhile, wrapped herself carefully around her mistress's neck as Lily traipsed towards the ordinary-looking telephone booth, and let herself inside. Procuring Muggle money from her pocket, she slipped a twenty-pence into the provided slot, and the little compartment moved downward, replacing itself as Lily went underground. She then arrived at a stone fireplace and stepped directly inside, the swirl of flames taking her directly to the main thoroughfare of the ministry, where was met by her Aunt Hermione.

"Lily, darling!" she cried out, once she'd seen her, enveloping her in a quick embrace, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, Aunt Hermione," Lily replied.

"I do hope the journey was all right."

Lily nodded. "As well as can be expected. Al through a pillow at me before I left," she confessed, and Hermione raised her eyebrows at her. "Luckily I didn't arrive with a mouthful of feathers. Wouldn't have made the best impression..."

Hermione smiled. "No, I suppose not... Isis, you're here, too!" she said, and stroked the feline, who basked in Hermione Granger-Weasley's presence. "Aiden has just arrived a few moments ago, according to Ron, and is awaiting you in the room."

_Great_, Lily thought as she smiled and nodded to her aunt, permitting herself to be hurried along through the crowd of witches and wizards. _Finnigan has already arrived. He's punctual, to say the least; let us hope he is polite when we're not in mixed company_. Lily did her best to listen as her aunt chatted away to her, while all the while ignoring the glances and the whispers from the people around her. They all knew that she was the only daughter of the famous Harry Potter, and Lily had become quite used to flashbulbs in her face whenever she went out in public...

"Big smile, Lily!" called a photographer from _The Daily Profit_.

Lily shot the man a grimace, knowing that her papa would find the entire situation amusing, as she was hurried along by Hermione. "Hopefully I'll become aware of the true meaning behind anonymity in Scandinavia," she said softly, hearing her aunt laughing as they moved towards the various lifts at the end of the corridor.

"Perhaps you can speak to Luna about potentially publishing whatever it is you and Aiden find under a pseudonym," she said quietly, keying in the correct number to the lift, which arrived promptly and opened for them.

Lily laughed as they stepped inside. "Quite right," she said, reaching up and stroking Isis, who pressed her nose into her cheek. "I'm like my father in that the fame never meant much for me. I think Al seems to like it..."

"Funny, considering that you're a Gryffindor and he made Slytherin," Hermione said, putting in another button, which caused the door to the lift to slam shut, and jostle them about for a moment before launching upwards.

"I always knew that I'd be a Gryffindor... Well, me and Rose did," she said, her shoulders hunching at what had happened the night before. "What's she doing?"

Hermione sighed, clueing Lily in to the fact that Rose had likely run home and told Hermione directly about the goings-on at Longbottom Manor the night before. "Took a trip with Victoire and Dominique to visit Louis and Apolline," she said softly, mentioning the mother and father of Fleur, Bill's wife.

Lily swallowed. "I take it this was...not a planned trip?"

Hermione bit her lip, before she reached down and clutched Lily's hand. "Rose explained the situation to me as best she could. She's hurting right now, that much is true. But I know that she doesn't blame you for Scorpius's feelings for you. Rose was just shocked, more than anything else, and she thought it best to get out of her head for a while before she joins the Holyhead Harpies in the autumn."

Lily jolted then, and it wasn't because the lift had slammed to a halt when they'd arrived at their destination. "The Holyhead Harpies?" she whispered.

Hermione turned and looked at Lily, a quizzical expression clouding her features as the door to the lift opened, and she guided them out into the hallway. "Well, yes. Ginny used her connections to get her a try-out last spring, just after you two sat for your N.E.W.T. exams. I thought she would have told you..."

Lily shook her head as they walked down the corridor. "No," she managed to get out. "I mean, I was preoccupied with meeting the qualifications of this Scandinavia trip, as well as studying for my N.E.W.T.'s but... Rose and I studied for them together," she went on, finding herself tied up in knots as she struggled to make sense of the situation. "She told me often enough that she would love to play pro-Quidditch but she never told me..."

Hermione stopped walking then and placed a soft hand on Lily's arm. "Darling, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Ginny surprised her with the trip, and the try-out just happened on the trip. It was only the trip that Ginny was able to do, as she was writing a report on their practice sessions when their Seeker took a bad fall. Their Seeker hasn't been the... Well, she's bad-tempered, on a good day. She threw down her broom and announced her retirement during the practice session, I'm afraid. That's when one of the Chasers recognized Rose—apparently, they had a sibling or a cousin on one of the Hogwarts teams—and told her to get on the field. Even though Rose didn't have her own broom with her, she proved confident, and they hired her."

Lily sighed, knowing how overwhelming that must've been for Rose, especially because she didn't have her beloved Starsweeper XXI, a gift for Rose during their sixth-year when she'd been made Quidditch Captain. "I'm happy for Rose," Lily said softly, a steady sigh coming forth from her lips. "I guess... Well, I wish Scorpius hadn't said something so foolish as loving me in front of everyone. Not that I believe him..."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You think he'd lie?"

Lily laughed. "Rose is beautiful, Aunt Hermione, and I'm..."

"You're beautiful, too, Lily," Hermione replied, putting an arm around Lily's shoulders. "I always thought red hair suited you far better anyway."

Lily scoffed. "The day my magic decided to manifest, and I suddenly resemble an outlier within my own family..."

"You look remarkably similar to your grandmother, whom you're named for," Hermione told her patiently. "Not to mention that you've got her eyes, as well as Harry's."

Lily nipped at her bottom lip, considering that for a moment as she finally pushed on, and her aunt was quick to show her the way. "Guess I just wish that things didn't have to change," she said, her voice quiet.

Hermione smiled, kissing her temple. "Well, darling, I'm afraid that's not something that can be avoided. No matter how much we want things to remain the same, it doesn't always work out that way."

Lily nodded. "I know."

"Well, at least you've got a plan," she said, removing her wand from her pocket as they turned a corner, which seemed to be the same as the others, were it not for a suspicious-looking blank spot along the wall. "Revelio," she said softly, swishing her wand a bit, and an ancient-looking door appeared before them. "Alohomora," came the next word, and the old-sounding lock clicked, and the door squeaked open. "Go ahead, dear."

Lily stepped inside, but drew back instinctively, spotting a rather large, red-orange colored cat on the other side of the room. In an instant, she felt herself transforming into her Animagus form, as Isis carefully climbed up onto her shoulder. H Her Scottish wildcat was nowhere near as big as this unknown feline creature, and yet, Lily knew well enough that she was perfectly capable of handling herself if it came to a fight. She instinctively moved in front of Hermione, but when she heard a rather exasperated sigh from behind her, her ears drew back, and she looked away from whatever that creature was on the other side of the hidden room.

"Ronald!" grumbled Hermione, throwing her brown-haired head backwards, looking as if she would scream.

Ron, to his credit, knew that, if his wife spoke around him—or directly to him—in this tone of voice, that he had to act quickly. Ron suddenly appeared from behind a curtain, and approached her without fear, and coaxed a smile from her lips as he kissed her forehead. "I thought it best to allow them to get acquainted with one another this way," he said, and when Hermione began to protest, he held up his hand. "Hermione, they're both equally powerful in their own right," he went on, as Ignatius the Crup made himself known, by hopping up off of the couch, and barked good-naturedly, to which Isis bounded from her mistress's shoulder and ran up to her friend, and nuzzled him affectionately. "They should get used to these forms, as it is likely that they will have to remain in them to fit into the various Scandinavian forests."

Lily let out a low hiss, to which the other cat growled softly, as Lily focused and returned to her human form, while the cat quickly morphed back into Aiden Finnigan, who appeared to be about two inches taller than Ron. "I didn't know you were an Animagus," Lily said softly, breathing heavily from her mouth, as she had permitted her anxiety to get the better of her; sensing this, Isis made quick bounds and a leap back towards her, and hopped quickly up onto her mistress's shoulder, pressing her cool nose to her cheek, which swiftly calmed her.

"Same here," Aiden replied, looking Lily over curiously, as Ignatius moved to his master's side, and sat obediently beside him. "When did you...?"

"Third-year. I was almost fourteen," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Took quite a bit for Isis to come near me in the form, however. We worked for most of the summer on it, and now she adores me in either form."

"Aiden here just registered the other day," Ron put in, and Lily looked over her shoulder at her godfather. "The ministry has some mixed feelings about unregistered Animagi traveling to different countries."

"I can't imagine why," Lily and Hermione said together.

"How long have you been...?" Lily asked, turning back to Aiden.

"Fifth-year," Aiden replied. "Quite a feat, too, since you and I were made prefects that year," he said, and smiled, resembling his father, a former schoolmate friend of Harry and Ron's. "Now you know why I skipped out on so many corridor patrolling's."

Lily laughed. "And, somehow, McGonagall was none the wiser."

"She knew," Aiden said, and Lily raised her eyebrows.

"She was your Head of House," Hermione put in with a shrug, allowing Ron to put an arm around her shoulders. "If anyone knew, it was her."

Lily laughed, shaking her head. "Of course she did," she muttered. "Luckily, your Potion's Professor wasn't your father. I only went unregistered until Christmas, and then I was hauled into the ministry to get registered."

"Your fathers did the right thing, Lily," Hermione said firmly. "Isn't that right, Ron?"

"Eh, it wouldn't have mattered..." Ron began, but cut himself off, a small shout emitting from in between his lips when Hermione's shoe's heel found its way into his foot. "Ow, hey! Of course they did the right thing, 'Mione! Now, stop it! Ow!"

Hermione smugly took her heel off from the surface of Ron's shoe. "That's better," she replied before she turned back to them. "That's your portkey there."

Lily followed Hermione's brown eyes towards the coffee table, which held a pocket watch; the table was placed on top of an old rug, opposite the couch Ignatius had been sleeping on. Also, there were two easy chairs, placed diagonally on both sides, to the couch which had seen better days, and, opposite the couch, stood a hearth, mantle, and, atop the mantle, was a badly-stained oil painting. Lily stepped forward then, gazing at the painting, and trying to figure out who it was, although the brush strokes were darker with age.

"Who is that?" she asked, pointing to it, the smashed-looking head sporting a white powdered wig, which did nothing for the sitter.

"Ulick Gamp," Aiden put in, and Lily looked towards him, surprised that Hermione hadn't jumped in with an answer. "First Minister of Magic, holding that position from 1707 until 1718, whereupon he was voted out or resigned."

"Ah-ha," said Lily, rolling on the backs of her heels, before turning back to Ron and Hermione for a moment. "How much time have we got?" As she spoke, the golden pocket watch on the table gleamed silver.

"Not much," Ron replied.

"Accio!" Aiden cried out then, and the timepiece zoomed into his outstretched hand, whereupon he pointed his wand at Lily, and she and Isis flew towards him, as he put an arm around her shoulders, and Lily flushed red at the contact.

Lily's free arms latched around the timepiece then, while her other arm reluctantly went around Aiden's shoulders as well. She turned and looked back at Ron and Hermione then, as the silver light enveloped them then. "Goodbye!" she called out.

"Stay safe!" Hermione yelled.

Lily and Aiden were spun around then, in traditional portkey fashion, whereupon they vanished from their spot in the room they'd been stationed in with Ron and Hermione. They seemed to break through the atmosphere on a stretch of land, slightly dark from the pearly-white clouded sky, and somehow managed to float easily to the ground. As soon as they landed, the light around the portkey faded before it disappeared from their outstretched fingers, and Lily and Aiden turned to look at one another.

"You all right?" Aiden asked..

Lily nodded. "Yeah. My dad still gets motion sickness," she joked.

"Not you?"

"No," Lily said, shaking her head to clear it. "That's Al. I'm like my papa in that I just want the journey to be over with, you know?"

Aiden nodded. "Sure."

"And you?" she asked, watching as Ignatius, sure that they wouldn't be spun around again, jumped out of Aiden's arms. "You all right?"

"Never better," Aiden replied, looking around. He reached out with his hands; they were obviously in a warded area, already checked and cleared by Luna and Rolf, who would likely be meeting them there. He turned around then, facing Lily. "This way," he said, taking out his wand; the tip lightened then, obviously pointing them in the proper direction.

Lily moved to follow Aiden, Isis still on her shoulders, while Ignatius walked in between them, matching Aiden's pace. Lily took out her own wand then, and its tip too lightened, showing them the way. When they finally passed through a massive ward, a beautiful house—obviously divided into two—stood before them, and the large forest was stationed beyond. Just as they walked up towards the front door, which featured pillars alongside it, plus four steps, it opened, and Luna and Rolf stood in the doorway.

"Welcome to Scandinavia," Luna said with a smile.

"Ready to help save some creatures?" Rolf asked.

Aiden grinned. "What else are we here for?"

Lily looked at Luna then, and a shadow passed over her face. "Luna, what's wrong?" she asked, and stepped towards her, feeling the distress practically leaking from her body. "Luna, what happened?" she pressed.

"She's in a bit of a shock," Rolf explained, gently putting his arms around his wife's shoulders and leading her back into the house, and beckoned Aiden and Lily to follow, as Ignatius and Isis had already ran inside and proceeded to make themselves at home, on a rug by the blazing hearth and the couch, respectively.

"Has something gone wrong?" Aiden wanted to know as they stepped into the parlor, the door locking automatically behind him, as Lily moved to sit on Luna's other side, while Rolf conjured cups of tea for them all.

"Not... Not wrong," Luna said, speaking at last as a teacup moved towards her, and she took it into her shaking hands, sipping it carefully. "It is only..."

"What?" Lily asked, deliberately making her tone gentle as Isis moved into Luna's lap, calming the older witch, to the point that Luna smiled.

"We've found them," she whispered.

"What? Found who?" Aiden asked.

Luna raised her eyes to Aiden and kept right on smiling, before she turned and looked at Lily and took her hand. "The Crumple-Horned Snorkack," she said, the color suddenly returning to her face as she exuded happiness. "We've found out where they are, at long last..."

. . .

Once Luna's feelings had returned to normal, she volunteered to show Lily where she would be staying, while Rolf took the lead on Aiden's part of the house. Luna explained as she headed upstairs with Lily that the parlor was a common area—meaning that both Lily and Aiden had access to it—while Aiden would have the downstairs living area and Lily would remain upstairs for the duration of their stay. Luna unlocked the upstairs door, prompting Isis to leap downwards from Lily's shoulder once again, which allowed the feline hybrid to scope out the living area on her own terms.

"Kitchen's through there," Luna explained, and Lily nodded. "You'll have to go outside the wards to Apparate, but we've left you sufficient information on how to get to the store. You and Aiden each have enough food in your respective kitchens for a month each." Luna moved down the corridor in the opposite direction, and Lily followed. "Living room," Luna said, nodding around them, and Lily took in the pretty couch, matching chairs, hearth with mantle, and a flat screen television. "That door through there leads to the library cum study," Luna explained. "I believe you'll notice another door through there—it connects to a staircase, which Aiden has access to as well. You will do all your work in there, as we've set up internet onto the desktop computers. I assume you brought a laptop?"

"Yes," Lily replied. "Much easier than quills outside of things."

Luna smiled. "Of course. Rolf and I will transpose your work into the correct formatting once you and Aiden have finished your work." She walked down the rest of the hallway off the living room then, and pointed to a door about halfway down. "Bathroom, which connects to the only bedroom up here, complete with separate shower and bath, a sink, and a loo." She continued down towards the final door, which she opened with ease, and stepped inside, Lily just behind her, and Isis darting in between both of the witches legs, before she made herself at home upon the queen-sized, cherry wood, four-poster bed. "Bed, night tables on each side, access to the balcony, which can be used as a quick escape into the forest beyond, should it come to that. A desk in case you don't want to work on your laptop in bed. And," she went on, opening one of the rooms' inner doors, "bathroom, and the closet," she concluded, opening the final door, which held a simple-looking closet, space for hanging dresses and pants on either side, along with a dresser in the very center, just down the aisle. "I trust that this living space is agreeable to you, Lily," Luna said, turning around to see Lily perched on the edge of the bed, her trunk now back to its regular size and just beside her, and looked her over for a moment. "Is something wrong, my dear?"

Lily bit her lip before she turned and looked at Luna. "I feel I should be asking you that question, Luna," she replied, feeling her shoulders hunching in a moment of uncertainty.

Luna blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Really?" Lily said, darting to her feet. "You don't?"

Luna shook her head. "No..."

"Then why would I need to have an easy escape into the forest?" Lily breathed, feeling her heart beating a mile a minute as she considered the reasons. "Are we in danger? Me and Aiden? Is there something we need to know?"

Luna swallowed. "That is a very complicated question, with a less than complicated answer, I'm afraid, Lily."

"Then attempt to explain it to me, please," I reply. "I'm eighteen-years-old, due to be nineteen in less than four months, well above the age of majority in the Wizarding World, and I am of age in the Muggle one. Now, what is it you're not telling me?" she whispered.

Luna dragged her hand down her face, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. "What you need to understand, Lily, is the fact that the Crumple-Horned Snorkack was legend, and was thought to have been merely a myth until Rolf and I discovered it..."

Lily nodded. "I know that you and your father used the money when you printed the truth about my father in _The Quibbler_ to come here and look for it," I said softly. "You weren't able to find it, and you began to doubt your father because of it..."

"There is that," she whispered. "But there is also the notion that, since the creature was thought to be myth, that there is hardly any relevant information on it."

Lily blinked. "What are you saying here, Luna?" she whispered.

"I had my father print in _The Quibbler_ that, on our honeymoon when Rolf and I came here, that we again searched for it, but were unsuccessful. I told _The Quibbler_ that I'd given up, and was fully satisfied that the creature never existed. However, upon my discovery of said creature with Rolf by my side..."

"Yes?" Lily prompted.

"I've come to the direct conclusion that I should not do field research anymore," she whispered as her should deflated. "I'll merely report on known creatures, but I will not attempt to find or to discover another creature for as long as I live. Rolf knows of this, and while he's supportive and agreed to do the same, I know he is disappointed in me. This was our dream, and to have it taken from us is a low blow."

"What else aren't you telling me?" Lily wanted to know.

"That there could be danger," Luna replied, and the word made Lily listen all the more. "We know virtually nothing about the creature, or where it should be put on the Classification of Magical Creatures..."

Lily swallowed, considering that. "So, is that why me and Aiden are here?"

Luna nodded. "Yes. The two of you will find out all the information you can about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, as quickly as possible. Not only is the department keen to get the information as well, but the danger is another factor."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that we don't know all we should, and Rolf and I could literally be sending both you and Aiden into a deathtrap."

Lily sighed and found she was gripping one of the posters of her bed. "Let me guess. To refuse the assignment at such a late date would mean, what? Death?"

"No!" Luna cried out, shaking her head. "No, of course not."

"Obliviating, then?" she asked. "You would take our memories?"

Luna sighed. "Yes, I suppose so. But we'd have to go about taking not only your memories, but that of your parents, siblings, Headmistress McGonagall..."

"Seems like a lot of trouble," Lily said, laughing darkly. "Wouldn't it be far simpler just to kill me if I refuse?"

Luna mulled it over for a moment before she nodded. "Yes. Yes I suppose it would."

Lily fingered the old wood upon her four-posted bed for a moment before she turned and gazed at Luna. "Even if it means certain death, Luna, I won't back down."

Luna blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I accept the assignment, just as I did before graduation, and again when I discovered I was to be the female on the project," she said steadily, before pushing herself to her feet. "I didn't have a plan after graduation, but now, it seems that I do. Perhaps I won't be the only Potter to do something great. Like my Potter ancestors, I am a Gryffindor, and I'm damn proud of that fact, Luna, and I won't hide it."

Luna nodded. "All right, then. Now that that's settled..." She reached into her robes then and handed Lily what appeared to be a letter.

"What's this?"

"All the information Rolf and I gathered about the Snorkack," Luna said patiently. "It's habitat, what appears to be its eating habits, and attitudes towards humans."

Lily opened the letter and skimmed to the last section, titled _Human Interaction_. The Snorkack, according to Luna and Rolf, seemed to have a rather shy disposition and demeanor, and needed to be trusted by either calm conversation, music, or its favorite food. Lily quickly looked at its eating habits, and raised her eyebrows. "Applum?" Lily whispered, shaking her head before looking up at Luna. "What is that?"

"Apple and plum trees are abundant here in Sweden," Luna explained. "However, in forests that house magical creatures, sometimes the trees become hybrids of one another. The Snorkack eats applums—in an essence, an apple and a plum that have grown together. When they are ripe, they resemble purple apples, with the skin of a plum."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "You are what you eat..."

"Excuse me?" Luna asked.

Lily shook her head, closing up the document. "Nothing," she replied. "Do you think Aiden and Rolf have finished by now? Aiden and I should debrief before tomorrow..."

Luna nodded. "Yes, of course. Rolf and I have a portkey back to England soon, anyhow. We have to check in with the ministry and inform them that the two of you have arrived. Now that your father is Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and your other father is Head of Slytherin House, you're quite the celebrity already."

Lily laughed aloud as they walked out of her new bedroom and down the stairs, where they saw Rolf and Aiden just returning to the parlor. "Not sure about that..."

"You are," Luna whispered before turning to her husband. "Are we settled?"

"Yes, Aiden has the paperwork. Ready when you are, darling."

"Wonderful," Luna said embracing Lily quickly. "Rolf and I should be getting along now, my dear. We'll let your families know that you made it here safely."

"Thanks," Aiden said, shaking Rolf's hand and kissing Luna on the cheek. "My dad thinks this could be a great opportunity, but my mum..."

"Overprotective?" Rolf asked him, and he and Aiden were quick to grin at one another in a moment of understanding.

"Yeah, with me being her only son and all," Aiden replied, dragging his hand through his brown hair, his brown eyes twinkling with good-nature. "Valencia and Valerie will be okay, though. I mean, now that the war's over and all..."

"What year at Hogwarts are they now, Aiden?" Luna asked.

"They were just a year behind me, so they'll start seventh-year in September," Aiden said, and smiled at the thought of his twin sisters. "We all got Gryffindor, which makes sense, because of our parents..."

Rolf cast a Tempus charm, and clicked his tongue. "Oh, we'd best be off, darling." He summoned a pearl necklace, which was gleaming that silver light, and Luna took hold of it as Rolf put an arm around her shoulders, and she took her husband's hand.

"We'll fire-call you two soon to check in," Luna told them as the light enveloped them.

"Stay safe!" Lily called, putting up her hand, and she and Aiden watched as the husband and wife disappeared as they spun around via the portkey. Lily lowered her eyes back down to the paperwork Luna had given her, and attempted to take in as much information as she could, and sank down onto the comfortable-looking couch. "Did Rolf give you one of these?" she asked, showing Aiden the paper.

"Yeah," Aiden replied, hastily sitting beside her as he dug into his pocket and producing his own copy. "See anything worth discussing before we go out on the hunt tomorrow?"

Lily swallowed. "One thing. A theory, nothing more, at this point..."

Aiden nodded. "Well, then, by all means, share it. It may have some merit, Lily. Besides, the only things known for sure about these creatures are on our pieces of paper. Your theory may very well be fact."

Lily's brows knitted together then. "Did you, by any chance, get to the section on what the Snorkack eats?"

Aiden nodded, going back to the paperwork and jabbing his index finger directly onto the page once he had found it. "The applum, with the pigmentation and skin of a plum, with its taste and insides being that of an apple."

"The pit, of course, used in the mating ritual," Lily went on. "That much is known, according to the legends, anyway."

Aiden looked up. "Blimey—Captain of the Care of Magical Creatures Club since third-year at Hogwarts, and I'm unfamiliar with that."

Lily blinked, looking up from her copy of the information of the Snorkack and shook her head with a look of slight amusement. "Interesting. I would've thought you would have known about something like that."

Aiden chuckled. "If it was stuff about dating, I stayed away from it," he replied with a shrug. "I was an immature teenage boy who only wanted valuable information. And, since any self-respecting magical creatures enthusiast knows, the Snorkack was stuff of legend. I never expected to find any new information on it, so once I found out it was imaginary, I stopped reading about it."

"Well, then, permit me to teach you," Lily replied. "In an essence, they would take the stone of a fruit—now known to be the applum—and make sure that its clean and perfect. Following that, they check and inspect it for any knicks or imperfections. They have to look for stones that are on the larger side, of course."

"Why larger?"

"Because the applum, according to Luna and Rolf, takes its size from a plum," Lily said with a patient voice. "If it is a larger stone, it is considered rarer, and even more precious than one of a smaller or standard size."

Aiden nodded then. "So, in an essence, if you present your lady love with a larger stone, you are therefore telling her that she is rare, precious, and exceptional?"

Lily nods. "Yes, that makes a lot of sense."

"So, back to your theory," Aiden said, leaning back against the couch.

"You are what you eat, right?" she asked.

Aiden made an amused expression. "I'm not following."

"The applums are purple, just like the Snorkack," she said quickly, turning to face Aiden. "So, my theory is that, perhaps, they can produce purple juice, thus tinting the skin color."

Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"It _is _a wrinkled-appearing purple creature, sometimes with the hard-shelled appearance of a common turtle in the Muggle world, with a golden horn which curves backwards," Lily said softly. "Could its diet, perhaps, affect its coloration?"

Aiden looked thrown for a moment. "Wow."

Lily smiled. "What? Like I said, it's just a theory."

Aiden smiled slowly at her. "You're beautiful when you have a theory."

Lily flushed then, a laugh escaping her lips as she turned back to the paper Luna had given her, and shook her head. "No. I mean, Rose is my best friend, and she was always..."

"Rose Granger-Weasley is a lovely girl, it's true," Aiden said, allowing that. "However, I always found her more attractive, if I'm being honest."

Lily swallowed, lowering the paper and turned back to Aiden. "This isn't just because of my father, is it?"

Aiden shook his head. "No, of course not—I couldn't care less if your father was Harry Potter. I admire him, sure, but it's not like that. Remember, your other father's a Death Eater..."

"_Ex_-Death Eater," Lily said flatly.

"Right, yeah," Aiden said, dragging his hand through his hair again. "Listen, all I'm saying is, you and I are going to be working together for a few months. We may as well lay out all of our cards on the table."

Lily shook her head. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that I think I've been into you since fifth-year, when we had to patrol the corridors together," Aiden confessed.

Lily laughed. "You missed those times quite a bit, Mr. Finnigan. And besides, I was in a relationship with Teddy Lupin at the time."

Aiden sighed. "You know as well as I do that Teddy was using you."

Lily nodded. "Unfortunately, I know that now. He actually had the nerve to tell me after our breakup that, at some point, he wanted to make Victoire Weasley jealous."

"You didn't deserve that."

Lily smiled then. "No. No, I didn't. I was paranoid as hell throughout the relationship, and he made it out to be my fault. Guess I wasn't wrong about it, though." She sighed, pulling her legs up so that they were underneath her. "People always compare me to my dad, you know? I was a Gryffindor like him; a prefect and Head Girl like he supposedly should've been. I have his eyes, just like he had his mother's. I was academically inclined..." She broke off then, and laughed aloud, recalling the one memory she'd managed to keep out of the pensieve analysis when the ministry had recruited her for the job. "Sixth year... Even before Teddy broke up with me, things were going to hit the fan..."

"How do you mean?" Aiden asked.

Lily bit her lip, allowing her mind to roll backwards, as she considered the one thing that she hadn't told anyone, not even Rose, and suddenly realized that, perhaps, Rose had just cause for not informing her of her joining the Holyhead Harpies...


	3. Swallowing Sand Left With Nothing To Say

_Al's owl, Wafic, had come to Lily during lunch hour on the first day of second term of her sixth year, and informed her that she had been summoned to the Astronomy Tower. While she was taking astronomy, as it was required for a sixth-year student, it was always a bittersweet location for her at the school. It was there that her beloved papa had murdered the former headmaster and her brother's namesake, Albus Dumbledore, a crime with her dad had witnessed when he was in the exact year that she was._

_Lily went up the grand staircase, which seemed to want to cooperate with her, ever since she had made prefect the year before. When she got to the top floor, she found the little spiral staircase that led directly to the tower, and climbed up without hesitation. The summons said that it was important, but not who had asked for her to come; they were signed by Headmistress McGonagall, however, and Lily knew that the signature was valid._

"_Minister," Lily said, spotting Kingsley Shacklebolt, a friend of the family, and the Minister of Magic ever since the Second Wizarding War had ended, as she finished climbing the stairs. She took in his typical kufi hat, as well as his beautiful blue and purple robes. "It was you that summoned me, sir?"_

_Kingsley turned around fully then, taking in Lily's five-feet-five frame; yes, the only daughter of Harry Potter and Severus Snape had grown up well. She had long red hair now, and intelligent green eyes; her skin was quite pale, and yet, she always had a glow about her that radiated health and determination. "I did send for you, Lily, yes," he replied as she crossed over to him and looked out at the impressive Hogwarts grounds._

_Lily was slightly taken aback by his tone, as it seemed to be overtly formal. Informality had been the norm for the minister, ever since she and Al were children, as he always was quick to show them tricks by hiding galleons up his sleeves, and then producing them from their ears. It was a Muggle trick, Lily knew, and yet, as both of her fathers were Half-Blood, she was very familiar with the Muggle world, and delighted in the memories._

"_Is everything all right, sir?" Lily asked, finally permitting herself to speak again. "Has something happened to my father?"_

"_Harry? Merlin, no," Kingsley said gently, shaking his head. "Your father is a brilliant addition to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Lily." He hesitated for a moment, before turning to look at her. "You seem quite skilled when it comes to the law."_

_Lily shrugged. "Oh, I don't know about that, sir," she said. "I appreciate that we have laws in place that we can protect ourselves from the outside world. Of course, it would be wonderful if we could be all-inclusive—we are, after all, all human. I just so happen to be a witch on top of that, through no fault of my own."_

"_Just your blood, Lily."_

_Lily nodded. "Yes. Just my blood."_

"_I have come here with a proposition for you, Lily."_

_Lily blinked, turning back to the minister. "Sir?" she asked._

"_I requested Headmistress McGonagall to send me your O.W.L. scores," he said. "I must admit, they were quite impressive. Eleven O's and one E—quite impressive."_

_Lily sighed. "I was disappointed in myself for the E, given my father's profession," she said quietly to him. "I was surprised that both my parents were pleased with the scores. I feared that Dad would be upset that I couldn't follow in his footsteps..."_

"_Exceeds Expectations will usually proceed to the next level," Kingsley said softly. "If you express an interest, send Headmistress McGonagall an owl. I believe, given that your other grades were O's, that you will at least be considered."_

_Lily smiled. "I hope so. I want as many opportunities as I can."_

"_Do you want to be an Auror?"_

_She laughed. "Given Al's aptitude for potions from the very beginning, it was always thought that I would follow in my dad's footsteps and become one."_

"_Would you join the department, if they wanted you?"_

_Lily nodded. "Of course I would."_

_Kingsley sighed. "We've been having some trouble tracking down the remaining Death Eaters that served under Tom Riddle," he said softly, and Lily shivered automatically at the mention of her dad's greatest enemy. "It seems as though some of them have managed to track down the Dementors, and they are all on the lose as various units."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that, sir."_

"_We're considering recruitment of younger witches and wizards. You're seventeen, Lily, which is of age in the Wizarding World."_

_Lily blinked. "Sir?"_

"_Your O.W.L.'s went by swimmingly. My proposal is that you sit your N.E.W.T.'s immediately and, if you do as well as you did on your O.W.L.'s, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is prepared to take you on."_

_Lily shivered. "Me? But why me?"_

"_It is not just because of your name, Lily, although that automatically carries considerable weight in ministry circles. It is about your magic," he said steadily. "You are not only an Animagus, but you can also produce, from what I've heard, a flawless Patronus Charm. Not to mention the notion of your wand's core."_

"_Its core?"_

"_Thestral hair," Kingsley said quietly. "A wand of that caliber hasn't been seen since The Elder Wand, which I know you know your own father used to kill Tom Riddle."_

_Lily nodded. "I am aware."_

"_Plainly speaking, the department wants you, Lily, pending your N.E.W.T. scores."_

_Lily shook her head, knowing that Teddy had been so distant over the holidays that, if she even left for a little while, then she would lose him. She couldn't, wouldn't, do something like that. It was commendable of her father to venture out and kill the Dark Lord on his own like that, but Lily wasn't that person; she was not her dad. She couldn't just leave something unresolved like things were with Teddy, no matter what._

"_I'm sorry, sir," Lily whispered. "But I can't."_

"_Can't?"_

"_No, I can't," Lily replied. "My father cut out before seventh-year, and I completely understand why he did so. However, I'm not him. I can't do that."_

_Kingsley sighed. "I'll admit, Lily, I'm disappointed, but I understand your desire to keep your younger years as normal as possible. In fact, I commend you."_

"_Thank you, sir."_

_Just as the pair was about to shake hands, there was a cry from up over the Black Lake, and they immediately turned towards the noise. It was the most ear-splitting scream that Lily had ever heard, and her heart was immediately pounding in her chest when she saw its maker. It was a shrouded figure, which seemed to glide at full speed towards them; behind it, were two others just like it. Lily had heard enough from both of her parents to know exactly what those creatures were, and it was then that she felt a cool hand on her wrist._

"_Sir, what...?" Her question was cut off as she saw Kingsley deflating next to her; his eyes were haunted, and he seemed to be rooted to the spot. "Oh, Merlin!" Lily whispered, turning back to the dark beings, coming closer at any minute. "Sir..." But Kingsley would be no help, and so, Lily shut her eyes. "Happy memory...happy memory..." Her memories went wild, and she remembered a Christmas—their first with Al—when Lily had gotten a charms for beginners textbook for the holiday. She felt so happy on that day, as she opened the ancient-looking pages of the tome before her—the largest she'd ever seen—and attempted to sound out the Latin language before her. "Accio. Lumos. Alohomora. Expelliarmus. Wingardium Leviosa!" she said, clapping gleefully, as her fathers looked on. Her heart fluttered then, seizing upon that moment, and allowing it to embody her very being, as her wand flew into her hand, and her eyes snapped open instantly. It snapped to attention, pointing directly at the beings, and Lily felt the happiness of the memory overtake her. "Expecto Patronum!" she shouted then, a great beam of light coming out of her wand then, the Scottish wildcat flying in the direction of the dark creatures, and beaming them off from the edge of the Astronomy Tower, over the grounds, the Black Lake, and beyond._

_Lily's heart was bounding as she stumbled backwards, leaning up against the back wall for support, the jewel in her wand glowing a proud red. Once she could stomach the strength to look up, she saw Headmistress McGonagall, her dad, and papa standing at the top of the staircase of the tower. Lily swallowed then, pushing herself upwards, and slowly walked over to the trio as her papa rushed to Kingsley to help him._

"_How's everything?" she asked, her tone casual._

"_Lily!" Harry said, almost as if he'd snapped out of whatever haze he'd been in, and rushed towards her, throwing his arms around her. He was only four inches taller than she was, but he seemed like a protective mountain then as Lily leaned into him. Harry pressed his lips to his only daughter's forehead, keeping a good grip upon her. "Are you all right?"_

_Lily nodded, standing back as she turned to her papa, who had put a sleeping potion down the minister's throat, before handing her a vial of some suspicious-looking brown liquid. "Papa, what is...?"_

"_Chocolate," Severus replied curtly. "Drink it."_

_Lily sighed, knowing he wouldn't lie to her, and tipped it down her throat; it reminded her of a chocolate-flavored custard or pudding, and was altogether pleasant. She felt her energy returning to her then, and lifted her gaze towards the staircase, where Al, Rose, Scorpius, and Teddy were standing, and she went with her gut. Running around her father, she threw herself into the pair of arms she wanted, and, in that moment, she chose Scorpius._

. . .

Lily had pulled her knees beneath her chin, all the while staring at the elaborately-patterned carpet placed just in front of the couch. She couldn't say anything else; all she wanted to do was remain silent, until Aiden got a chance to reply. She kept on staring at the carpet, motionless, until Aiden cleared his throat.

"You saved the life of the Minister of Magic?"

Lily didn't even nod. "Yes," she said softly.

"How come this wasn't in _The Profit _or_ The Quibbler_?"

Lily sighed. "The minister wanted to keep it quiet, I suppose. The last thing a person in power wants is a mere seventeen-year-old defending their life."

"But your dad did that, several times, before he was seventeen, to former Headmaster Dumbledore, and the papers reported about it," Aiden replied.

Lily turned to face him then, her brows knitting together. "But my dad was the Chosen One. I'm nowhere near where he was..."

"You learned the Patronus Charm almost a year before he did, didn't you?"

Lily worried her lower lip. "Well, yes..."

"And you're an Animagus. Your father isn't one."

She shook her head. "No. He couldn't do it, and it never interested Papa."

Aiden considered that. "Al's one, isn't he? An Animagus?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. He became one just after I saved Kingsley. He's a Konik horse," she explained, answering Aiden's unanswered question.

"Both the Scottish wildcat and the Konik horse are smaller versions of the typical wild animals people elect to turn into," Aiden put in.

Lily smiled. "They usually match their Patronuses." She hesitated for a moment. "Your Animagi form matches your Patronus, doesn't it?"

Aiden nodded. "It does." He hesitated for a moment. "Mum and Dad wanted to be Animagi, but they weren't able. Mum was too impatient to keep the leaf in her mouth, and Dad got too distracted to drink the potion during the thunderstorm."

"And the twins? Valencia and Valerie?"

"Somehow managed to complete the tasks as I did. We did it at the same time, on a dare. We just wanted to see if Mum's impatience or Dad's distractions were passed onto the three of us. I guess they weren't, because now we're all Animagi."

"What forms do the girls take?"

"Dogs," Aiden said with a small smile. "Valencia's a white Akita and Valerie's a black Border Collie. Interestingly enough, my form is the only cat they tolerate."

"Same species, different colors," Lily whispered.

"And breeds," Aiden put in. "Guess it just goes to show you how different you can be, even though you're supposedly identical."

Lily smirked at the notion. "_The Profit_ thinks that, because Al and I are the children of the famous Harry Potter, that we'll automatically be like him."

Aiden blinked. "Well, he's one of your fathers. Only natural that you'll have some similarities to him in some way, shape or form."

"It's not just that," Lily said quietly. "It's the fact that I've literally been on display since their relationship became public to the papers. Sure, they gave Xenophilius Lovegood an exclusive interview, but they also let him into our home, and allowed him to take pictures of me. They say it's your parents' right to do something like that, but I'm my own person from the moment I'm born. There's got to be a line somewhere..."

"You don't like the fame?"

Lily laughed aloud. "Am I used to it? Definitely; I'm nearly nineteen, and I've had to live with it since I was an infant. Do I like the fame? No... I suppose I'm like my dad in that way, I suppose, given that he himself never enjoyed it."

"You said that there was something during your Hogwarts years... Something different, that you wish you could take back?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" Lily replied, feeling her shoulders hunching around her in an automatic gesture. "When I was dating Teddy, I told you about my suspicions..."

"About his feelings for Victoire Weasley?"

Lily nodded. "Right. Well, there was one day that we were at Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, the final day we could go before Christmas, during fifth-year..."

"I remember that day," Aiden said softly. "Scorpius Malfoy sent me his Patronus with a bunch of Honeydukes merchandise for me to take his place beside Teddy to watch the younger years file into school... Wasn't that your job?"

"Yeah, Teddy and I planned on doing it together, when Hufflepuff and Gryffindor's numbers were up," she replied. "As we were walking back to the school, Teddy accused me, laughingly, mind you, of being paranoid—Victoire was in Madam Puddifoot's that day, too," Lily explained to Aiden, and he nodded. "Anyhow, I lost my temper. I slammed him up against the bricks of the buildings we were walking by, and pointed my wand at his throat, demanding that he tell me the truth about his feelings for her. Threatened him with Legilimency, too..."

"Merlin, Lily! You could've been expelled for that!"

"Thankfully, our wonderful Potion's Professor caught me, and not the headmistress," Lily said bitterly, feeling her humiliation washing over her twofold at the memory. "He told Teddy to get going back to the castle, before we Apparated to his chambers. He gave me a strict talking-to, and told me that Al didn't have the aptitude for Legilimency, and that it was a privilege for me to know and be adept at such magic. It's not to be tampered with..."

"No, it's not," Aiden said, shaking his head. "I can't even do it. Blocking, yes. Actually entering another mind? No."

Lily swallowed then, looking up at Aiden and zeroing in on his mind without hesitation. She heard him gasp, and he seemed to immediately attempt to put up walls, but Lily somehow managed to bypass them. She searched the inner workings of his mind, finding many memories associated with Care of Magical Creatures, but one memory stood out entirely...

"_Stop! Stop it!" cried Aiden, who was clearly a year or two from joining Hogwarts. "You're not playing fair!"_

"_Nothing's fair when it comes to magic," sneered an older boy—he looked similar to Aiden, the same brown hair, but not closely enough to be a sibling, for as far as Lily knew, Aiden had no brothers, only sisters. The older boy proceeded to levitate a hippogriff toy, which seemed to be handmade._

"_Please!" Aiden begged, tears filling his eyes. "Don't hurt it! It's the last thing that Gran gave me, please!"_

_The older boy sneered at Aiden then, obviously not taken with his sadness. "Gran's old and gone, Aiden!" he bellowed, continuing to bring the toy upwards._

"_Stop! Please, Kain!" cried out little Aiden, the tears flowing freely down his face now. "Don't do this! You don't have to do this!"_

"_Better to do this now, when I can still keep you in line!" the boy called Kain yelled, and manipulated the toy into a bare tree. "You're nothing but a filthy Squib anyway!"_

_Aiden's breath caught in his throat then, watching with horror as his beloved stuffed hippogriff was slashed by the tree. Stuffing blew in the wind as the body of the magical beast—now mangled by the spikey fingers of the branches—flew softly to the ground. Aiden looked up at Kain then, glaring at him, and let out a scream like a banshee, shoving Kain backwards without hesitation in his mind, towards the trunk of the tree that had killed his toy._

"_Aiden!" came a shout from behind them, and a girl—looking similar to Kain, except with blonde hair—who looked about fourteen came into the memory. She was shocked to see Aiden standing there, red in the face from a combination of anger and crying, as well as Kain, who was now slumped a few feet away from the tree. "You know the rules," she said._

_Kain lifted his head; it was clear the girl was addressing him. "I wasn't doing anything to him, Cara!" he cried out then, stumbling to his feet, and trying to appear sympathetic._

"_Like I believe that for a moment," Cara said, lowering her eyes to the scattered bits of stuffing and fabric, which littered the ground. "You've destroyed Laoise," she said, her tone angered and directed entirely at Kain and the pieces seemed to flow to her automatically, and she gathered them into her arms._

"_Hey... Hey!" Kain shouted, jabbing a finger at her. "You can't do that! It's against the rules, Cara!"_

_Cara sighed, shutting her eyes. "I will risk the wrath of the ministry, but once the hear my side of the story, I'm sure they can be persuaded to look the other way." Her eyes, pearly silver, opened again, and she knelt before Aiden. "It's all right," she said, and lowered her eyes towards the pieces of Laoise. "Reparo," she whispered, running her hands over the fabric and stuffing, and the hippogriff was as good as new. "Pardon my brother, Aiden. Ever since he got his Hogwarts letter, he's been terrible."_

_Aiden sniffed, taking Laoise into his arms. "I know," he said quietly. "Next year, when I get mine, I can beat him."_

_Cara smiled, kissing Aiden's forehead. "I wish you were my brother, but I've got to settle for cousin. It's all right, though," she said, gathering Aiden in her arms for a moment, before walking him back towards the house. "Mum says lunch is ready," she called over her shoulder to Kain, who stuck his tongue out at his older sister, before he trudged behind them._

Lily retreated from the memory then, flying back into the parlor of her shared house with Aiden in Sweden, and they stared at one another. "Cara?" she whispered.

Aiden's eyes were red. "My cousin."

"Yes, I figured that out..."

"Eldest child and only daughter of my father's cousin, Fergus," Aiden went on, his tone bitter as he shook his head.

"What happened to her? Was she expelled?"

"No." He shook his head. "She turned seventeen before the start of her seventh-year. She was in the Auror pre-training program, and was permitted to go on a mission to capture some of the Death Eaters that are still lose."

"Oh, no," Lily whispered, remembering before her third-year was due to begin, and the whispered conversations between her parents...

"_A girl is dead, Severus!" Harry shouted, while Lily remained silent on the staircase, unseen due to her Animagus form._

"_Harry calm yourself..."_

"_How can I do such a thing? She was seventeen, Severus—just seventeen. That was the age I was when I carried Lily," he whispered, despair filling his voice. "To have such a young life of such a talented witch cut short..."_

"_Who was the girl?"_

"_Cara Finnigan, Half-Blood, daughter of Seamus's cousin, Fergus, and his Muggle-born witch wife Finella. She went to Beauxbatons, the mother—she's half-French on her mother's side, and so she went there after her parents got divorced..."_

"_I am sorry for the family, Harry, really I am. But you're so torn up about it. Are you afraid that Lily will want to be an Auror?"_

"_I know it's her dream—right now, anyway," Harry replied. "But it gets worse than that, Severus, much worse."_

"_What's worse?"_

_Harry bit his lip then, raising his eyes to his husband. "As the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I'm to inform Fergus and Finella."_

"I know the name," Lily whispered, trembling then. "My parents discussed it. It was just before third-year, when Dad came home and shared the news with Papa..."

"We were visiting Uncle Fergus and Aunt Finella that night—since Mum and Dad are only children, Fergus became like our uncle, and Mum's best friends, Padma and Parvati Patil, became our aunts... Your dad came and delivered the news. He was so calm about the entire thing, and I couldn't understand it..."

"Papa likely gave him a potion," Lily said softly. "He wasn't uncaring or unfeeling, Aiden, please don't think that. He needed to focus when it came to Apparition, and if he was so upset, the motion sickness would've been worse for him. He had a job to do, an unfortunate one at that, and that job was to inform Cara's next of kin as soon as possible."

Aiden dragged his hand down his face. "A horrible night..."

"What happened to Kain?" Lily whispered.

"He joined the Auror Department a year ago. He mended his ways after that day—the memory that you witnessed. Due to that, the Sorting Hat amended his choice from Slytherin to Gryffindor, and he became the latter, just like the rest of us."

"Cara was a Gryffindor?"

"Yeah. Slated to be Head Girl her seventh-year."

Lily nodded. "Of course. She was a prefect..."

Aiden sighed, trembling as Lily had done a moment ago. "I just feel like I'll forget her," he said then, the tears filling his eyes.

"You won't," Lily replied, moving over so that she was closer to him. "I had no right to look at your memories. I apologize."

"No," Aiden said, "I'm glad you did. There are certain things I don't like discussing, so it's better for you to know like this..."

"How is it better, if you have to re-live the sadness?"

Aiden smiled slightly then. "One must remember the good with the bad, Lily. It was on that day that my magic manifested. I had just turned ten, and I knew my family was concerned that I hadn't done anything. Kain wasn't the only one who thought I was a Squib."

"You're not," Lily replied, her eyes locking with Aiden's. "You're very powerful in your own right, and I'm sure Cara would be very proud of you."

Aiden hesitated for a moment, considering his reply, before he finally spoke. "And you? Are you proud of me?"

Lily smiled. "Of course I'm proud of you, Aiden. We may have not been close during our school years, but I watched you, from a distance. I was shocked at how much you managed to accomplish, and I was proud to be a fellow Gryffindor."

Aiden smiled back at Lily. "I'm proud of you, too... Teddy didn't deserve you. I'll admit, I was always a little jealous of him..."

Lily laughed. "Jealous of Teddy? Why?"

"Because you were you, and he was just... Teddy. Wonderful parents, but he likely didn't listen to their teachings, or his house, for that matter. Hufflepuffs are supposed to be loyal and fair, and he wasn't either of those things towards you. You deserved better."

Lily swallowed then, staring at Aiden, and found that she couldn't deny his points, nor his magic being wonderful, or that he was easy on the eyes. "Better like you?"

Aiden smiled again. "Maybe..."

Lily nodded then, and leaned in, feeling relieved when she noticed Aiden doing the same, and felt a charge of some kind as their lips met. The attraction had been evident for some time, and, due to the fact that they'd never been close—and Lily's past relationship—it had been left untapped for several months. Once their lips met, however, exploring one another in an intimate dance, Lily was gone, and she had the feeling that Aiden was, too.

. . .

Lily awoke on the final day of July, untangling herself from Aiden's arm, slung around her in sleep, and summoned her robe wandlessly. Wrapping it around her, she turned and spotted Isis and Ignatius, curled around one another, at the foot of her borrowed bed, and crossed over to the en suite bathroom. Showering quickly, she knew that she and Aiden were an hour ahead of her parents, but she was desperate to get a fire-call to them and quickly, knowing that her beloved Aunt Hermione had planned a party for her father's thirty-seventh birthday.

Lily climbed into the shower, mentally managing to adjust the water temperature to her liking, the various droplets making contact with her skin quickly. They made trails down her arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, and legs before finally swirling into the drain and disappearing, only to be replaced with new ones. Her red mane was long and wet down her back, and she felt deliciously sore from the night before. To say that Aiden was a generous lover would be an insult to Godric himself, for Aiden always went above and beyond for the both of them to ensure pleasure was had by all.

Stepping out of the shower once she'd finished, the summoned towel flew into her outstretched hands and wrapped around her quickly. She advanced towards the mirror above the sink and stared at herself for a few silent moments. The Thestral on her left clavicle, inked during the 2014 Quidditch World Cup when she was only fifteen-years-old, when her Dad had introduced her and Al to Viktor Krum, a fellow Triwizard Champion, seemed to stare back at her. Lily had managed to keep the ink a secret from her fathers for over a month. On the final day of summer vacation, during a swimming trip to the Burrow, however, they'd seen Lily's shoulder area, and were deeply upset by her not consulting them about such a life-altering thing.

_It was an amusement that she was made a prefect the following day_, she mused to herself, tossing the towel away and crossing over towards the window. Standing on her toes, she looked towards the forest, and heard nothing out of the ordinary. Satisfied, she turned towards the skies, and saw that it was going to be a sunny day. The Thestral was no longer alone; it had been joined in the wake of Lily's rescue of Kingsley Shacklebolt by her wand casting her Patronus, which was featured on her left ribcage. Her final tattoo, for the moment, at least, was the lion of Gryffindor proudly holding the Sword of Gryffindor upon her back, which she had gotten in the wake of Teddy's breaking up with her.

Dressing in a pair of jeans and a turtleneck, she summoned her hiking boots and laced them on just as quickly, casting a cleaning charm onto her teeth, and a drying spell onto her hair. She then left the bathroom and crossed through her bedroom, kissing Aiden's forehead before she headed out of there and towards the staircase towards the parlor. She felt bad that she and Aiden had all this space, but, considering that they'd shared a room from the first night of settling in here for their research project, they really didn't need the bottom half of the property. Shaking her head at her actions, she smirked to herself as she stepped into the parlor and knelt before the impressive hearth before her.

Tossing in some Floo Powder, she said clearly, "Potter Park, Woolacombe, Devon, England," and waited for the flames to clear.

"Lily!" came Harry's voice after a moment. "That you?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me," Lily said, grinning at her father. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Harry replied, pleased to hear from her. "How's things going over there in Sweden?"

Lily sighed. "Well, I can tell you that Aiden and I are getting some impressive work done. Of course, we can't tell you what it is yet—Luna and Rolf made us sign a confidentiality agreement beforehand, which you're aware of."

Harry nodded. "Yes, of course I remember, darling. Well, what can you tell me?"

"Lots of research is happening, I can say that much. Aiden and I are working around the clock, and we work really well together. Really."

Harry regarded his daughter then, their eyes locking with the other. "I feel like there's something you can tell me, Lily, but are hesitant to do so."

Lily swallowed. "What makes you think that?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, Lil. All I do know is, you're my daughter, and I know full well how you act when something's going on that you're hesitant about sharing."

Lily tucked a stray hair behind her ear; she and Aiden hadn't established formally what they were to one another, but they hadn't blatantly said not to discuss it at all with other people. "I guess I'm involved with someone..."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, grinning. "Someone that you met over in Sweden? I know that Luna and Rolf arranged for some of their associates over there to keep in touch."

Lily shook her head. "No. Nothing like that."

Harry mulled that over for a moment. "Is it Aiden?"

Lily's heart fluttered then. "Yeah..." Her voice sounded like it was trapped by a lead weight. "I mean, we're not official or anything. But we work really well together in the field of things, and we're adults..." She sighed; she knew full well how badly she was explaining things to her father, and she wished all of this was easier. It wasn't for the first time that Lily wished she had a mother to talk to, and knew full well that Aunt Hermione would understand...

"Do you like him?" Harry asked.

Lily nodded. "Of course I like him."

"He always seemed to be a respectful, charismatic, intelligent boy—hell, even Severus liked him," Harry joked, and Lily felt a soft laugh escaping her lips. "He treating you right, Lily? That is the main thing here..."

"He's brilliant, Dad, and he's so patient with Isis and Ignatius. It's almost as if..." She shrugged then, and laughed nervously. "I don't know. We're...we're staying together..."

Harry nodded. "His room or yours?"

"My... My room," Lily said, flushing.

Harry smiled. "Well, he's nineteen, and you're eighteen. Nothing wrong with what you're doing as long as you're both fine with it."

Lily nodded at Harry. "I'm fine with it."

"Then, that's all that matters," Harry told her, reaching through the flames and taking her by the hand, squeezing it gently. "Now, _please_. It's my birthday. Can't you tell me _something_ about your work with Aiden?"

Lily smiled, thinking it over, knowing she could come up with something worthwhile to tell her father, especially on this day.

. . .

It had come as a complete surprise to Lily during one of their writing sessions—in which they'd explored the forest for creatures for a week, taken notes, and wrote down their findings during the weekend—that Aiden clearly had something to say. Lily had gotten to her feet, saving her progress onto the computer, and smirked slightly that a Muggle invention was so useful, and walked over to Aiden. She gently massaged his shoulders and kissed his head—they were very physical with one another, given that they were frequently alone—and moved away after a few moments.

"I'm going to start on dinner," she said, making her way towards the door of the study. "What do you think we should have tonight?"

Aiden mulled that over, pushing himself back from the computer. "Well, it is Sunday. We may be in Sweden, but still..."

Lily laughed. "I think we have a roast somewhere. I'll get started on it. How do potatoes and carrots sound with it?"

"Fine," Aiden said, dragging his hand down his face.

Lily hesitated in the doorway, staring at him. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he assured her, looking up. "I just wanted to see if, maybe, you wanted to go out next weekend, after we get some work done."

Lily blinked. "As what? Colleagues? Friends?"

Aiden smiled. "No. I was thinking like...a date."

Lily swallowed; she hadn't been asked out since Teddy had done so on the train back home from Hogwarts during their fourth year. "Sure, I'll go out with you," Lily replied, and found that she was smiling at him. "I'd love to."

"Great," Aiden replied, getting back to his work.

The easygoing Aiden had vanished on that day, twenty-nine days later at the end of September, when he and Lily had inadvertently disturbed a potential mating ceremony between the head Snorkack and his budding lady love. The male had let out an ear-splitting scream when the tree branch Lily was standing on snapped, and after she had tumbled to the ground, too fast to cast a spell to save herself.

"Shit," Lily said, clamoring to her feet as the beast rumbled towards her, rage in his expression, and Lily felt her skin go white as she struggled to stand, although he ankle screamed in protest at the motion.

"Run!" Aiden screamed, jumping down from the tree and grabbing Lily by the hand, yanking her out of the fray.

"We can't harm them!" Lily shouted, knocking Aiden's arm downwards, but he thankfully managed to keep a grip on his wand. "Luna and Rolf would have our arses if we even attempted to do such a thing!"

Aiden remained silent, yanking her along behind him, as Lily tried and failed to keep up, due to her ankle burning. Aiden let out an annoyed groan, and lifted Lily almost effortlessly, and managed to keep up a good pace. Lily looked over his shoulder, seeing the Snorkack following them in a blundering fashion, eager to catch them and make them pay for making him look the fool in front of his hoped-for mate. Lily swallowed, knowing that the branch had been weak, but she was stubborn, and thought she could handle it.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered.

"Forget it," Aiden replied, jumping over the massive tree roots and continuing to attempt to keep a hold on her. "We'll try again tomorrow..."

Lily sighed. "Normally, I'd be complaining about my ankle, but I guess I know a knight when I see one," she said.

Aiden rolled his eyes. "No flattery right now, Lil," he said, rounding a bend, keeping a good grip upon her. "No distractions."

Lily sighed, having enough and launching herself off from his grip, and managed to hop at a good speed beside him. "Look, you're the one who asked me out and initiated the whole feelings conversation," she snapped, hearing the Snorkack behind them. "I may have kissed you, Aiden, but you're the one who wanted to take the party upstairs..."

Aiden rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant by distractions and you know it," he muttered, a significant amount of annoyance peppering his tone of voice. "I meant solely in this situation that we're in right now. That's all."

"Well, you weren't very clear!" she snapped again.

The Snorkack screamed from behind them, and Lily turned slightly, seeing that it was literally just on their tails. She knocked Aiden out of the way, but he was too strong for her, and did a successful knock himself. Her heart entered her throat then as Aiden's wand lit up, and he was wordlessly attempting to cast something at the angered beast.

"No!" Lily cried out then, knocking his hand down a second time.

He let out an annoyed huff and pulled her along. "I wasn't about to stun or hex him, Lily!" Aiden yelled, pulling her into a shrub once they'd rounded a corner, knowing that, since the Snorkack's sense of smell was its weakest sense, that perhaps they'd be safe there, for a time. "I was going to immobilize them. That's all."

Lily caught her breath, digging for her canteen and drinking quickly, forcing her heart rate to go down as she struggled for breath. She hesitated for a moment, peering through the withering leaves of the bush, and saw the Snorkack take off in the other direction. "I guess I didn't want you to get into trouble," she said quietly, returning to her former position, and permitting herself to glance at Aiden.

Aiden blinked. "That's awfully kind of you."

She shrugged, capping her canteen and securing it in the pouch at her waist, which was complete with an undetectable extension charm, thanks to Aunt Hermione and her infinite wisdom. "It's been known to happen," she muttered, wiping off her mouth with the back her hand.

Aiden swallowed. "That was stupid. The thing with the tree branch."

Lily glared at him. "I know that. Don't you think I know that?"

"You still did it!" Aiden shouted.

Lily felt her anger mixing with her magic, which was bubbling just beneath the surface. "I'd advise you to stop it."

"Or what? You'll do to me what you wanted to do to Teddy?"

Lily let out an angry growl, and lunged forward, knocking Aiden to the ground, and they were rolling around like schoolyard children in the dirt. She didn't care about the consequences of her actions; in that moment, she was out for blood. It wasn't even a few moments later that Aiden had her on her back, her red mane fanned out around her head, and she continued glaring up at him, breathing hard. "Don't mention Teddy," she said, her voice firm. "And I know what I was doing was stupid. I just have a stubborn streak."

Aiden sighed. "Look, I only said it was stupid because I was worried about you," he said, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "When I saw you fall, too quickly to cast a spell, all I thought about was protecting you. It's never been this way, Lily, not with anyone. Sure I dated, kissed, and slept around a bit during my Hogwarts years, but it never meant anything. There was respect in the couplings, I'm not an animal..." At Lily's eyebrows raising further, Aiden backtracked considerably then. "Okay, we're _both_ animals," he amended, "but I didn't take advantage of anyone in the process. And now..."

"And now?" Lily asked.

"And now I think I'm falling for you," Aiden replied, and the gasp of shock was quick to escape Lily's lips. "I know you're stubborn and reckless, but you're also intelligent and courageous and wonderful and beautiful. I love all those things about you, Lily. I think there could be a future between us, and I think..."

Lily was quick to put her arm around Aiden's neck, pulling his lips to hers, and kiss him. She was successful in gaining the upper hand, and rolled Aiden onto his back, making quick work of unbuttoning his shirt and pulling down the zipper of his pants. She did the same to her own clothing, and Aiden wasn't about to stop her. She let out a hungry groan as he entered her then, and felt her magical core pumping slightly then.

"Lily..."

"Yes?" Lily whispered, finding the best position for optimal pleasure.

"I want us to be official," Aiden whispered.

Lily lowered her eyes to Aiden's, and smiled down at him. "So do I," she whispered back, and leaned down to kiss him again.

. . .

Al stared into the Firewhiskey he'd been permitted to drink by his parents, and allowed it to swirl inside the golden goblet; it had a W upon it for Weasley, and it was studded with rubies for Gryffindor. It didn't phase Albus; in all, only four Slytherins were in attendance at the Christmas party at the Burrow—his papa, Draco, Scorpius, and himself. The rest was a mixed bag, although Gryffindor was the Hogwarts House most in attendance that evening, with Lily and Aiden being the center of attention.

Al was pleased that his older sister had come home from Sweden for the holidays, and he was just as pleased to see Aiden having her on his arm. Al had always liked Aiden, thought he was a good bloke, and was especially pleased with the rare potion ingredients that Aiden and Lily had brought back from Sweden for him and their papa for the holiday. He watched as they talked in whispers with Luna and Rolf, likely giving them a report of their findings over there. Finally, the couple left them alone, and Al swallowed as Scorpius seemed to make an immediate beeline for the two of them.

"Scorp, _don't_," Al said, his voice firm as he caught the arm of his best friends' dress robes. "Let it be, at least for tonight. Please."

"I wasn't going to..."

Al sighed, cutting him off. "Very much like my sister, I don't care for liars," he said softly, and Scorpius sighed in annoyance. "Let it alone, Scorp. She's with Aiden, and she's happy."

Scorpius pulled a face. "I know that, but..."

"But nothing," Al hissed. "The last thing Lily needs is guilt right now, knowing that she was your prize all along."

Scorpius's eyes blazed. "How did you know?"

"Papa had quite a bit of free time on his hands over the summer, and I may have persuaded him to guide me in _Legilimency_," he said softly.

Scorpius looked shocked. "You read my mind?"

"Only to get to the piece of information that you so strove to keep from me. How could you do something like that to Rose?" Al hissed at him. "She liked you; she may have even loved you, but you only dated her to get closer to Lily."

Scorpius swallowed. "Al..."

"No. That's my sister, and Rose is my cousin," he said, his voice trembling. "I don't understand how you can go through with doing something like that. It's very Slytherin of you, to say the least, but I always thought you were better than that."

"Maybe it's good that I'm living up to my house's name," Scorpius replied, his tone bitter. "At least don't let Alice know."

Al flushed, looking away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know you two are together," Scorpius said softly, his voice a threatening whisper. "Even though it could be seen as odd."

Al looked up. "Odd?"

"She's a sixth-year, and you're only a fifth-year," Scorpius went on. "What's going to happen after she graduates in a year?"

Al shrugged. "I guess we'll figure it out."

Lily could feel Al's magic prickling uncomfortably; she knew it was long overdue for Scorpius to confront him about dating Alice, but he was going a bit too overboard with it. Of course, he would want to address his best friend dating his little sister, but the notion that he could go on and on about the subject, to the point where Al was uncomfortable, was overkill. Lily turned back to Aiden, and smiled at him, but her smile faltered then when Teddy and Victoire walked out of the Floo fireplace together.

"Forget him," Aiden said softly, putting his hand in hers, something that was not lost on either Teddy or Scorpius, even from different locations in the room.

"You're right, I know," Lily replied, and smiled up at him, and leaning closer as he kissed her on the cheek. "I'm not going to worry about it."

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"What?"

"Me acting this way towards you in public, or seeing Teddy with Victoire?"

"The second one," she replied, letting out a sigh. "I'm over him, I swear. It's just the notion that he never admitted to lying... That's what hurts the most." Lily noted with a quick amount of glee that Teddy showed his awkwardness at the situation far more rapidly, and forced himself into a conversation with his parents. "I'm forgetting him now," Lily said, her voice firm as she turned her full attention to Aiden. "Happy Christmas, Aiden."

Aiden leaned down, and brushed his lips with hers. "Happy Christmas, Lily."

. . .

"It's a treehouse," Lily said, staring up at the property that Luna and Rolf suggested that they look at, when they returned to Sweden.

"It's in the hub of our operations," Aiden said, taking Lily by the waist, and gently summoning the two of them up to the landing above, Ignatius in his other arm, and Isis on Lily's shoulder. "I think it's perfect."

Lily grinned. "You would," she joked, kissing Aiden on the cheek. "But you're not going to hear me complain here. Besides, it's just for another few months, right? We're under contract until June, unless we decide to extend it."

Aiden nodded. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, squeezing her waist before he let it go, and crossed the platform towards the door, and unlocked it.

"What an extension charm," Lily whispered in awe as they crossed the threshold. Inside, there was a beautiful living room, along with a hearth connected to the Floo Network. Through the archway beyond was the kitchen, and down the hallway beyond that, halfway down, was their shared study.

"And now, the moment we've all been waiting for, our favorite room in the house," Aiden said, with Ignatius and Isis at their heels, as he opened the final door. "The bedroom."

Lily laughed aloud, catching sight of the size of the bed. "Guess Luna and Rolf really understand that we're together now," she said quietly.

"You regret being open about our relationship?" Aiden asked, returning their trunks to their original sizes, before magically unpacking their belongings and putting them in the large closet that they would be sharing.

Lily shook her head. "No," she said, waiting for Aiden to finish the task he'd given himself, before she crossed the room and put her arms around his shoulders. "If it takes a few moments once a day to tell you how happy I am, then I'll do it. I'm happy, Aiden. Really. We got some good research done on the Snorkack last time around, and now it's time for the Swedish Short-Snout, and thankfully we've got some information from Charlie this time around."

Aiden grinned. "Not walking blind anymore."

Lily shook her head. "No. I think that's a good way to go about life."

Aiden looked curious about that. "Not walking blind, you mean?"

She nodded. "Exactly. If you know too little about a situation, you're bound to get burned, be it by dragon fire, or because of the lack of information you possess. By the same token, knowing too much information can make a witch or wizard—or even Muggle—a cocky beast, and then you could wind up dead or in a stupid and preventable situation. If you know just the right amount of information, then, you can keep a level head, and you're more than likely to be successful."

Aiden smiled at Lily then, and she shook her head at him.

"What?" she asked.

"With words and thoughts like that, you could be Minister of Magic."

Quickly, Lily shook her head. "No. The public eye isn't for me..."

Aiden blinked. "Why not?"

"Because," Lily said quickly, "I have too much to say. If a man says too much, everyone around him laughs and goes along with it. If a woman says too much—and she's not in the correct circle—she could be killed." She stepped closer to Aiden, and brushed his lips with hers. "I don't want anyone to die for me, Aiden, but I'm certainly not prepared to die. Not yet."

"You've got a life to live, then?"

Lily smiled. "Exactly. I've got a life to live. And whether or not you're in it as my friend or as my boyfriend, I know that, either way, I've got to be happy with my life."

. . .

Lily was typing up their final report on the Swedish Short-Snout, to be delivered to Luna and Rolf by the end of the week, when they were due to return to England. However, that morning, an owl had arrived, addressed to them both, telling them that there was another assignment, this time in Norway. It had come across the breakfast table, when Lily and Aiden were indulging in a breakfast of eggs and sausages. Lily had finished already, while Aiden was helping himself to seconds, so Lily opened the letter and stared at the parchment.

_Dear Lily and Aiden,_

_Terrible news from the Norwegian Ministry of Magic, only coming across our desks this morning, and it is quite a shock indeed. It seems as though Selma—a dreadful sea monster from years ago—has been found, and is terrorizing the citizens. It was stated to be taken care of four years ago, during the last Quidditch World Cup, but someone seems to have stolen it and returned it to Seljord Lake in Norway._

_We understand that your obligation to __The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is due to end in a week, but we wanted to let you know first about this assignment. If you don't wish to pursue it, we quite understand, as such a thing would be considered dangerous, even for an expert. We simply ask that, either way, you let us know what your answer is, as everyone involved wishes for this to be resolved as soon as possible._

_Luna and Rolf Scamander_

Lily stared at the computer then, forcing herself to continue writing the assignment. Ever since she and Aiden had returned from England over Christmas, try as they might, the spark seemed to be gone from the two of them. She didn't want to believe it, as she was very satisfied in other ways, but she knew that, sooner or later, the two of them would have to face it.

Lily finished the writing and printed out her report and sealed it, knowing that the owl from earlier was waiting for it. She bit her lip and walked into the living room, where Aiden had been after the letter had arrived. She swallowed then, seeing his report on the coffee table, and bound his together with hers, and went back into the kitchen. She smiled at the owl and petted it, and, now that it had had nourishment and something to drink, she handed over the reports to the owl, as well as her answer about the trip, knowing that Aiden had likely given his as well. Unlocking the kitchen window, the bird hooted to her and flew out, back to England.

Lily shut the window and walked back into the living room, where she took a seat on an easy chair beside the hearth, thought better of it, and joined Aiden on the couch. "I take it you sent in your answer with your report?"

Aiden nodded, leaning forward. "I sent it, yes."

She nodded back at him. "And you're going home?"

Aiden sighed. "I have to, Lily. I signed on for this job for a year, and now that it's up, I've got my desk job with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, just like I always planned."

Lily sighed, biting her lip. "I understand."

Aiden turned to her then, regarding her profile. "You're staying? Or, rather, going to Norway to deal with Selma?"

Lily swallowed, before she nodded, staring at the coffee ring that Aiden had accidentally made on the coffee table when they'd first gotten there. "Yeah. I know there's more out there for me to know and discover, Aiden." She turned and looked at him then, willing for herself not to try. "I know that a desk job seems great, and I'm happy for you, but..."

"But you're not ready to settle?" he guessed.

Lily smiled. "Yeah, I guess I'm not. There's more for me out there, career-wise. I just can't go home yet. I'm not ready."

Aiden sighed, moving closer to Lily and kissing her on the cheek. "Do you want me to be waiting for you?" he asked.

Lily shook her head at him, kissing his forehead. "No, don't wait for me," she said gently, and pulled back, so that she could stare into his eyes. "I care about you a lot, Aiden, and I know you care about me, but we don't love each other."

Aiden swallowed, but finally permitted himself to nod. "You're right. We would've been better as friends all along."

Lily smiled at him. "We can still be friends, Aiden. Unless, of course, me staying here means that you never want to talk to me again."

Aiden grinned back at her. "Of course I still want to talk with you, Lily. Of course I do. I'm not going to be a jerk about this."

Lily smiled before she took Aiden's hand. "Thank you, for teaching me how to be happy again," she said softly to him. "Thank you for making me understand that I deserve happiness."

Aiden nodded. "Anytime. And thank you, Lily..."

"For what?"

"For teaching me that me talking about Cara, and my past, could actually be beneficial, instead of me burying it like a dirty secret."

Lily grinned. "You're welcome, for being my nosy self," she replied.

. . .

After Aiden left, there was the matter of gathering up hers and Isis's things from the treehouse in Sweden, and going to the place in Norway that Luna and Rolf had prepared for her. Once she arrived later that day, Lily had some downtime for the first week, waiting for Luna and Rolf to get back to her on the Selma incident. Spending time reading about the serpent, and spending time with Isis, filled her days, until an unexpected knock came at her front door.

Lily left the chair beside the window in her study, and came out into the living room. She had left Isis asleep in the study's window seat, so she ventured to the door alone, her wand in her hand, as she checked through the peephole. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw Scorpius on the threshold, and unlocked the doors quickly, staring at him.

"Are my parents all right?!" she cried out then, grabbing onto his wrist and yanking him inside the house. "What about Al?! Has something happened?!"

Scorpius immediately shook his head. "No, everyone's fine, Lily," he assured her. "Here, come and sit down," he said, gently placing her on the couch and moving to sit beside her. "I didn't mean to catch you unawares. I sent an owl, but I suppose it went to Sweden instead," he said, a short laugh escaping his throat.

Lily sighed, relief filling her. "So, everyone's fine? Even Rose?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, Rose is great. Helping the Harpies win every match she can. She's brought up their winning average twofold since joining the team."

"That's amazing," Lily replied, recalling her conversation with Rose over Christmas, and was thankful to know that their friendship had not been broken. "So, what brings you here?" she wanted to know.

"Al told me about Selma," Scorpius said, looking slightly worried. "How are things going with that, then?"

"Just preliminary research at this point," Lily replied. "Nothing serious, and certainly no action or field work, as of yet."

Scorpius sighed, looking around. "You alone here?"

Lily blinked. "Just me and Isis. She's in the study."

"Where's Aiden?"

"Went back to England a week ago," Lily said, confused that Scorpius didn't seem to know that bit of information. "Got a desk job with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures..."

Scorpius smirked. "I thought Aiden was a Gryffindor," he said smugly.

Lily blinked. "Of course he is."

"Well, why didn't he stay to face Selma with you?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of facing it on my own, Scorp. And besides, Aiden stayed as long as our original agreement was. We were under contract for a year; I decided to renew my contract, and he didn't. Simple."

"You didn't want to come home?"

Lily shook her head. "No. Not yet, anyway. Wasn't ready."

"Why?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. I'm only nineteen, and I've only ever been around the United Kingdom, plus Argentina for the Quidditch World Cup when I was fifteen. Exploring Scandinavia, and writing up reports on magical creatures..." She smiled. "I don't know. It makes me happy, fulfilled. When my adventures here are over, I'll come home."

"Maybe you could have adventures at home, Lily."

Lily laughed aloud then. "Do you miss me, Scorp?"

"Of course I bloody well miss you!" Scorpius yelled, shooting to his feet and walking away from her, which caused Lily to raise her eyebrows.

"Scorp, what's all this?"

"Blimey, Lily, I don't know," Scorpius muttered, shaking his head. "I thought I was over it. I mean, when I saw you and Aiden at Christmas, I drowned myself in Firewhiskey, thought I could kick you as a habit..."

"Kick me as a habit? I'm not some drug, Scorp," Lily said, slightly offended by the images that directly came into her mind.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Scorpius said, shaking his head. "Your pictures were printed all over _The Profit_ and _The Quibbler_," he went on, digging inside one of his inner pockets, and shoving something into Lily's hands.

Lily blinked, uncrumpling the piece of paper, and recognizing it as coming from the front page of _The Profit_, giving a brief overview of hers and Aiden's research in Sweden. There was a picture of the two of them well; a photographer had come at Luna and Rolf's request two weeks before, when they were still in Sweden, and still together, to get some publicity shots of the two of them for the article. It was titled, _Potter's Daughter Makes Name for Herself in Magical Creatures World, Alongside Boyfriend Aiden Finnigan_. Lily rolled her eyes, taking in the shot of them together—Aiden, beaming, his arm around her shoulders, while Lily somehow managed to look happy, although, on a loop, she was attempting to avoid the camera's flashbulb, and she looked altogether uncomfortable with the situation.

"Did this upset you, Scorpius?"

He sighed. "Maybe it did..."

She swallowed, getting slowly to her feet. "Not that it's any of your business, but Aiden and I ended things before his departure."

Scorpius looked shocked. "He did?"

"_We_ did," Lily said, not wanting to be some damsel in distress in need of rescue. "It was a mutual decision, with no heartbreak involved."

"That's why you didn't come home?"

"No. I didn't come home because of work, Scorp. Not a guy."

"Don't you want to come home?"

"Eventually, of course," Lily told him. "One day. Just not today..."

"Lily..."

"What?"

Scorpius stared at Lily for a moment, before he stepped forward, grabbing her by the waist and yanking her against him, his lips finding hers without hesitation. Lily didn't struggle, and molded her body to his, letting him touch her, allowing herself momentary pleasure. It was heady, to say the least, as he asked her where the bedroom was, and she pointed, allowing him to take her there, where for hours they did what many adults did best, and she awoke with the cock's crow the following morning.

Lily sat up then, bolt-upright, her hair a mess down her back. The comforter of the bed was wrapped around her, and the silvery light of dawn crept into the bedroom. Looking next to her, she saw the naked figure of Scorpius, asleep next to her, and shook her head. What had she managed to get herself into this time?

She sighed, knowing that she had a choice to make, as her eyes filled with tears, but she would not allow herself to be chained. Swallowing, her wand had automatically come into her hands, and she pointed it carefully at Scorpius. "Obliviate," she whispered then, taking his memories from the night before, and replacing them with ones of him trying to kiss her after getting too drunk, and her putting him to bed. In an afterthought, she put on his boxers and pants, so that her story would be backed up.

Lily got up then, summoning a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, not even skimping on the undergarments before putting on her hiking boots. Shaking her head, she poked Scorpius in his naked back, and he moaned slightly before opening his eyes and staring at her. "You need to get up and get dressed, Scorp."

Scorpius was surprised at her demeanor, and sat up in the bed. "What?"

"You can't stay. I'm working," she said, deliberately attempting to make her voice cold. She couldn't let him in, she just couldn't.

Scorpius shook his head. "Lily, I thought, after last night..."

"Nothing happened last night," Lily said quickly.

Scorpius blinked. "What?"

"You got drunk," she said firmly. "You were drunk, Scorp. You tried to kiss me, and I told you it wasn't happening. I gave you sleeping potion, don't you remember?"

"But... I slept in your bed..."

"It's a large bed, Scorp. Just because we slept in the same bed, doesn't mean that anything happened between us. You wanted it to, but I declined, and you fell asleep."

Scorpius nodded, almost as if he was forcing himself to understand the situation. "Well, if that's what you say happened, then I suppose it did happen."

"It _did_ happen, Scorp," Lily said, the emotion tangling up for a moment in her tone, but she swallowed it quickly. "Put on your shirt, shoes, and socks. Your coat is still in the living room, and you won't have to Apparate."

Scorpius, by this time, had gotten out of bed, and had gotten his shoes on. "I won't?"

"No. The fireplace is on the Floo Network. You'll be home in a moment."

Scorpius swallowed, before he nodded. "All right," he said, and moved to leave the room, his expensive shoes squeaking on the wood floor.

"Scorp... Wait," Lily said, and moved to run after him. She knew that Scorpius didn't deserve this, any of it, and as her heart pounded, wanting to rectify the situation, she ran from her room and into the living room. However, as she ran into the room, the flames had already swallowed him up. "Fuck," Lily whispered, and grabbed a handful of powder, before a tapping caught her attention, and she saw an owl by the window.

Shaking her head, she dropped the powder back into its vessel, before letting the owl inside the kitchen, summoning some tidbit for it. She opened the letter and scanned the pages, knowing that it came from Luna and Rolf, telling her the instructions for methods of getting rid of Selma—or, at the very least, her violent tendencies. Lily scribbled out a reply to the owl, who screeched as it was handed over, and she watched it fly away, before she sank to her knees, allowing the sobs to wrack her body, hating how cowardly she was in her unwillingness to let someone, someone who truly cared about her, in.


	4. My Voice Drowned Out In The Thunder

"Happy Birthday, Dad!" Lily cried out then, attempting to keep the choking from her tone of voice as she fire-called home. "How are things over there?"

"Great, great, everything's great. We miss you like hell, of course," Harry replied, smiling at his daughter through the flames. "How're you holding up, sweetheart?"

Lily forced a smile onto her face. "I miss all of you, too," she assured him. "Things are actually going really well. Especially with Selma."

"Yeah?" Harry asked. "How's that?"

Lily swallowed, and then shook her head. "I really don't think you want me to tell you about my work, especially on your birthday..."

"Oh, dear. Harry, is our firstborn hiding something from us?" Severus asked, moving into the flames so that he was pictured beside his husband. "Lily, you can tell us anything. You know how much we love you, and support the work you're doing."

"Which you swore to keep secret," Lily said quickly. "I could get into a hell of a lot of trouble if Luna and Rolf found out what I've told you..."

"We're not going to say anything about it, darling," Harry assured her. "Now, come on. What's new with Selma? Have you tamed her yet?"

Lily sighed. "Turns out, Selma's been acting this way because she's lonely and scared," she said quietly. "She just... Well, she needed someone to talk to."

Harry stared at his daughter then, green meeting green, and found that he was at a loss for words at what she was insinuating.

"Lily," Severus said, breaking the silence for a moment, "what are you...?"

"Actually_ speaking_ to Selma?!" Harry demanded then, fear flickering across his face as he stared at his daughter. "Lily..."

Lily sighed, lowering her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't like it, Dad..."

"It's a Slytherin trait, Lily," Severus said gently, "and while it is considered a gift, it isn't a very common one. If people got this information..."

"That what? I'm even _more_ of a freak?!" she demanded, her voice sharp as she met their eyes. "I knew I was different from the beginning. This isn't just something I can turn off, you know."

"When did you know?" Harry asked.

"From the time I was a kid," Lily said, sitting back on her haunches. "Why do you think I was alone so much?"

"You were reading," Severus said softly.

"Sometimes, yes," Lily replied, crossing her arms. "I read about being a Parselmouth, because I'd never heard about it before. Only to realize that one of the modern Parselmouths in existence—at least, until you defeated Riddle—was you, Dad," she said quietly, the hurt in her voice that of a small child, as she remembered reading her father's name in the book she had pilfered from her Aunt Hermione's collection.

"How old were you?" Harry asked.

"I suppose it happened when my magic manifested, when I was two, but I didn't discover it until I was five or six," Lily admitted. "There are snakes around the lake at the Burrow. Whenever Al, Rose, or Hugo would run away, screaming, I just stared into the eyes, and saw some intelligence behind them. So I just talked to them, and they spoke back..."

"Who knows?" Severus asked his daughter.

"Just you two, and Selma, of course, plus those snakes at the Burrow, I guess," Lily said, and shrugged a little. "I don't talk about it, due to the stigma connected to it, and I just felt so abnormal that I didn't think..."

"It's not your fault, Lily," Harry told her, raking his hands through his hair. "What do you and Selma talk about, anyway?"

Lily folded her hands in her lap. "I've been teaching her manners, actually. Everyone around here is shocked that I've actually managed to keep her calm. I haven't explained why; and, I can somehow still speak it in my Animagus form. Selma and I have a lot of fun as animals. In fact, I can ride on her back as my wildcat or myself."

"Whoa. You _ride _the serpent?!" Al's voice demanded as he came into view, sandwiching himself between their parents.

Lily laughed, relieved for the distraction. "Well, yeah. she's actually quite nice once you get to know her. She just wants a chat now and again, is all. I've been telling her about the other witches and wizards around here, and she's becoming used to the idea about how you can't do certain things in polite company."

"Must be nice, you being a Parselmouth and all," Al put in, and Lily's eyes immediately snapped to his in shock.

"Lily, you said that nobody knew other than..." Severus began.

"Oh, she didn't have to tell me. I spied on her enough when we were kids to know what she was really up to in the reeds at the Burrow," Al explained.

"You little prat!" Lily snapped at him.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Harry said quickly, and Severus held their son back before he could attempt to charge through the flames to take a swing at Lily. Harry's head turned at the sound of the front door opening. "Ron and Hermione have arrived," Harry informed her, and he waved to them.

"We'll greet them," Severus said, looking at Al. "Want to keep talking to your sister, or have you quite finished?"

"I'll talk to her," Al replied.

"Good man," Harry said, ruffling his hair, before he and Severus left the call.

"What do you want to talk about?" Lily asked.

"Aiden's been seeing Dagmar," Al put in, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "I mean, you said the two of you ended things okay, right?"

Lily nodded. "No, of course we did, Al. Just shocked that he moved on so quickly, is all. But no matter—it's really none of my business." She hesitated for a moment. "How're things with Alice going, now that she's graduated?"

Al grinned. "Told her I loved her," he said, and Lily smiled back at her brother. "I think this could be the real thing, Lil. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is she."

"I'm really happy for you, Al," Lily told him, and bit her lip slightly in thought.

"What's the face?" Al asked.

"Had a visitor a few weeks back, when I first got here," she said quietly. "Scorpius came to see me, and things..."

"Did he go out of line again?" Al demanded.

Lily swallowed. "Even if it was, it's not like he'll remember it..."

"Merlin, Lil. What did you do?!"

Lily dashed the tears out of her eyes quickly, but Al still saw them. "Just wish I had the courage to do it after sixth-year," she said, and felt her voice cracking with a sob.

"Sixth-year?"

Lily swallowed again. "Yeah. Too much Firewhiskey at Longbottom Lodge for both of us. I took him upstairs and we... You know."

"Lily, what were you thinking?"

"What?!" she demanded, her hands flying up. "We were of age, and we clearly wanted it to happen at the time..."

"Merlin, Lil, he's been in love with you since we were kids!"

Lily felt her face go white then. "No, no that's not true," she said, her voice trembling. "Scorp was into Rose. I know that—she told me about the notes he was writing about a beautiful redhead with a sharp magical mind..."

"Read between the lines, Lil. You and Rose are both redheads, and you both have sharp magical minds!"

Lily dragged a hand down her face. "Oh, Merlin..."

"Lil...?"

"I Obliviated him the morning after," she whispered, her voice shaking as the tears streamed down her face. "I just didn't think..."

"You didn't trust, Lily," Al said gently, and Lily put her face into her hands, shaking her head at what he said. "It's true, Lil. Ever since Teddy broke your heart, you can't trust. You let Aiden go because it was easier then fessing up to that fact."

Lily shook her head again as she looked back up at her brother. "I just can't help it. And besides, I couldn't do that to Rose..."

"Rose and Scorp were together for five minutes, Lil!"

"It was almost a year, and you know it," she shot back.

"Regardless, they were kids. It's not like you'd be taking something away from her, Lil. Rose made it pretty clear about where she stands now."

"Right. Hating both of us," Lily muttered. "Least, she hated me, for a while. It'll take a long time for us to get back where we were before..."

"Then take the time to do that, Lil. You have to," Al replied. "And, for Salazar's sake, give Scorp his memories back..."

"No," Lily said firmly, remembering a section of _The Profit_ that she'd seen, earlier that week. It was the gossip and public interest column, mind you, but, plain as day, there was a photo of Scorpius, with his arm intimately wrapped around the waist of a beautiful witch named Eloise Chang, a Half-Blood Slytherin girl a year behind them at Hogwarts, who now had a decent position at the Pest Advisory Bureau at the Ministry of Magic. "No, Al. It was a mistake, and it shouldn't have happened, and it won't, ever again. Not if I can help it."

"Lil," Al said gently, and he waited for his sister to raise her eyes to his. "Who are you trying to convince, Lil?" he asked.

Lily automatically opened her mouth, but found she had no words for an answer.

. . .

Lily had managed to teach a handful of witches and wizards in the Norway area enough Parseltongue to keep Selma placated, before she bid the serpent farewell. Selma was saddened to see her friend go, but she was willing to give her new friends a chance. Lily packed up hers and Isis's belongings on the twenty-fifth of August, before cleaning up the house and stepping through the Floo Network. She had written to Luna and Rolf the week before, informing them that this was to be her last mission, and that she would be completing her report from home, and they both were placated with that.

Lily stepped through the Floo and promptly went upstairs to her bedroom, which had been left untouched since she'd left, over a year before. Lily returned hers and Isis's trunk to their original sizes, and hung up her cloak, while Isis made her way to Lily's bed pillow, and quickly made herself at home. Lily smiled at the picture, and quickly put away all of hers and her familiar's things, before she set to work on finishing the report.

Harry came home around five, and Lily, finally finished with the document, told herself she would hand it off to Dulcis the following morning to give to Luna and Rolf. Lily promptly headed downstairs, Isis around her shoulders, and met her father in the kitchen. He was already starting on a lasagna for dinner, and he let out a shout when he saw his daughter, casting a quick cleaning spell on his hands and pulling her into her arms.

"You're home!" he cried out then, kissing her on the cheek.

"Floo was simple," Lily replied, hugging him back as Isis stepped onto his shoulders. "Will Papa be back soon?"

"In about an hour, I suspect, provided he hasn't discovered a new potion," he joked.

Lily nodded, pulling back from her father and rolling back on her heels, letting out a bit of surprised laughter as Isis hopped back onto her shoulders. "Al wasn't here when I got back. Are things okay with him?"

"He's spending as much time at Longbottom Lodge as possible," Harry explained, putting the lasagna noodles into the pot of boiling water. "Alice starts in my department next week, and they want to be together for as long as they've got."

Lily hopped up onto one of the barstools on the kitchen island, which housed the stove, along with two cooking spaces on either side. "Is Alice seeing things again?" she asked, remembering how, as a child, Alice's ability to predict things was uncanny, but she'd kept quiet about it in recent years.

Harry sighed, stirring the noodles. "Al tells me that Alice is having some trepidation with starting the new job."

"And it's not just customary jitters?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "Initially, I thought so, too. But it seems to be more than that... I don't know. With Al dealing with being a seventh-year in a week, plus his apprenticeship with St. Mungo's on the weekends, he's going to have a full plate as it is. He can't go around solving everyone's problems."

Lily smiled. "That's our Al."

Harry looked up and smiled at his daughter. "Yeah," he said. "That's our Al."

Severus came home an hour later, just like Harry had said he would, and just after Harry had pulled the lasagna from the oven. Severus stepped into the kitchen with his nose in the air, pleased with the smell of sauce and spices coming from the kitchen, and kissed his husband warmly, before he let out a shout of seeing Lily setting the table. He promptly crossed the room and held her close, relieved that she was safe.

"Say goodbye to Selma?" he asked, sitting at his customary place reluctantly, as Harry told him he would serve that night.

"Of course," Lily replied, sitting when Harry motioned for her to do so. "She's getting used to the appropriate manners put in place for her, and I think the adjustment period should go well and quickly. There are Healers on hand if need be, and top creature experts learned Parseltongue so that she would be comfortable during the transition."

"What was she like?" Harry asked his daughter, levitating generous pieces of the lasagna onto each of their plates.

"Above all things, scared," Lily replied, picking up her fork slowly, as she watched the plumes of steam coming off of her dinner. "Saw a lot of myself in her, actually..."

"What do you have to be afraid of?" Severus asked with a chuckle. "You're home with your loving parents, and Isis is well. Plus, you've got your health, too."

Lily's eyes snapped to Severus's, and she nodded. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, Papa. I just meant that there's so much uncertainty in the world. For example, I've no idea what I'm going to do yet, once I send the report to Luna and Rolf tomorrow..."

"You're going to rest, for one thing," Harry said firmly, popping of piece of his dinner into his mouth and chewing it. "Last thing Severus and I want is you perishing from certain exhaustion after all you've done. You've done two fantastic magical creature assignments in the last year, sweetheart, gathering more information than we ever thought possible, and generating two reports to boot. Just get used to being in England for a while, okay? You don't have to decide your next move just yet."

Instead of arguing, Lily nodded, smiling at them. "Course not," she said, and forced herself to have her dinner. "I'll let it lie for a bit."

"Good show," Severus replied, smiling at his daughter.

. . .

Although surprised at the unexpectedness of the invitation, Lily, along with her fathers and Al, attended Aiden's wedding to Dagmar exactly six days after she returned home. Lily remembered Al informing her before her homecoming that Dagmar was pregnant, and, given that Dean and Aiden's father were best friends, it seemed only natural for the pair to marry. Lily found herself nothing but happy for the couple, and stayed up far too late into the night gossiping with Dagmar, until Aiden pulled her away and Al rushed Lily home.

The following morning, a groggy Al set off for his seventh-year at Hogwarts, and Lily had agreed to come along to see him off. Wafic was screeching impatiently from his cage, wanting nothing more than to be let out in the eventual compartment Al would have. Al, meanwhile, sported dark purple circles from beneath his eyes, and barely flinched when Harry casted a de-dusting spell on his brand-new Head Boy badge.

"It's quite an honor, Al," Severus told his son, smiling proudly down at him. "I expect you to wear that badge with pride."

"Lily held it first," Al replied, his voice soft, as he turned to give his sister a smirk.

"Sorry Alice couldn't come today," Lily said, hugging her brother; he'd grown in her absence, and now stood well over six feet, dwarfing her five-feet-five frame.

"I'm due to give her orientation this afternoon," Harry said as Lily let him go, and Severus smiled indulgently at his husband. "I promise, Al, she'll fit right in."

Al smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I know you will."

The train whistle was due to blow at any moment, and Lily's eyes scanned the crowd as their fathers told Al not to become cocky, now that he was Head Boy for Slytherin House. Lily rolled their eyes, remembering the speech they'd given her two years before, when suddenly, her breath caught in her throat. Through a crowd of people, Lily spotted Teddy, and his arms, which were wrapped around Victoire, heading off for her seventh-year as well; Lily recognized the Head Girl badge on her uniform, and suddenly felt ill.

"Dad, Papa," Lily said, cutting across their speech to Al, and they turned to look at her. "I really didn't get enough sleep last night after the wedding. I think I'm going to head back home and take a nap, if that's all right."

"Not feeling well?" Al asked, as Lily moved to hug him again, although his eyes were filled with intelligence, knowing full well what she was reacting to. "Don't worry," he managed to whisper into her ear. "I'll give her hell."

"Thanks," Lily whispered, before pulling back. "No, Al. Sorry. Not really."

"Go home and rest," Severus said quickly. "You know where the pain potions are, if you feel a headache coming on."

"I know, Papa," Lily told them, hugging them both. "See you later."

"Bye," Al said.

With a crack, Lily Apparated back to Potter Park in Devon, wetting her lips as she considered her next move. Crossing into the kitchen, she could still smell the remnants of the sausage and eggs that Harry had made that morning for breakfast. The smell of grease wafted into her nose and, without warning, Lily was bent over the sick, vomiting up breakfast. She shook her head at that, casted a cleaning spell on herself and the sink, before she moved into the living room, and crouched before the fire.

"Connect me to the hospital wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the private office of Madam Pomfrey," Lily managed to get out, before tossing the powder in.

The flames remained still for a moment, before the kindly mediwitch's face appeared, and she smiled at Lily. "Lily, dear. It's been a while. I've been reading all about your travels in _The Profit_, and they're quite impressive." She searched Lily's face then, and looked concerned. "I believe you look a bit peaky, dear."

"I just vomited," Lily confessed, biting her lip. "If you would not mind, would you step through for a moment and perform a diagnostic spell on me?"

"Not to worry, dear," Madam Pomfrey replied, and stepped into Potter Park with a smile, as she held out her wand. The silvery beam of light promptly exited the tip of her wand, and Lily's own magic—golden in color—came around her body to meet it, thus allowing the spell to complete itself, although Lily nearly stumbled when she saw what she saw. Her magical core, which frequently glowed gold, to symbolize her Gryffindor status, now turned a rather aggressive pink color, and she gasped. "I see," the mediwitch said.

"What's wrong with me?!" Lily squawked then, trembling all over as Madam Pomfrey pocketed her wand, and the light disappeared. "What is...?"

"The Muggles call it a positive," she told her calmly.

"A...positive..._what_?!" Lily cried out.

"Your core would glow various colors depending on what was wrong with you, my dear," the mediwitch told her.

"Oh, Merlin," Lily moaned, wondering if she had picked up something terrible and incurable while on assignment in Scandinavia. "Am I going to die?" she whispered.

The mediwitch laughed. "It's very rare to die from this condition nowadays, my dear. And you are perfectly healthy, and your body will adapt quickly. It is, in an essence, what women are made for, biologically, at least."

"Made for...?" Lily whispered, and lowered her eyes, a slight curve to her stomach, suddenly noticeable, catching her eye. She reached downwards then, and put her hand, flat, upon her stomach, and felt her heart beating in her ears as she looked up. "I'm... I'm pregnant?" she asked Madam Pomfrey then.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Yes. I'd put you at just shy of three months. But, nothing to worry about, my dear. The child appears to be healthy and strong, although it is too early to determine the sex, as of yet."

Lily wetted her lips then, thinking her diagnosis over. "Please..."

"Yes, dear?"

"Don't tell anyone," Lily begged.

Madam Pomfrey smiled. "It's not my place to do so, my dear." She casted a Tempus charm, and clicked her tongue. "I must be getting back now. You wouldn't believe how many first-years trip upon the grand staircase after coming in from the boats. I've got so many bandages to roll," she joked, squeezing Lily's shoulder before walking back through the Floo.

Lily turned around and went upstairs to her bedroom, and shut the door behind her. She turned and regarded Isis then, who opened her eyes and stared at her, as if to say, _So, you've finally figured it out, did you_?

"How long have you known, then?" Lily demanded.

Isis yawned at her mistress, as if communicating, _Wouldn't you like to know_.

Lily rolled her eyes then, walking towards her floor-length mirror, and carefully lifted up her top and stared at herself. Most of her stomach, thank goodness, was concealed by her skinny jeans, but Lily immediately took them off and put on sweatpants. "This is turning me into a goddamned human being," she muttered, looking at her reflection. However, her hand instinctively wandered back down to her small bump. "Well, little one, looks like it's just you and me. Guess now is a good a time as any to think of a name..." Lily smiled to herself then, caressing her stomach; she felt a surge of love that she never thought possible flow through her, and it was then that she knew that nobody would ever harm her child.

. . .

Lily was sitting in the parlor a week later, Isis in her lap, reading through Luna and Rolf's notes about her final report on Selma. She was used to their language on the page by now, and felt relieved that she could officially close the book on that chapter of her life. Luna informed her that her father, Xenophilius, had received the report himself, and would be publishing it soon in _The Quibbler_. Of course, this also meant that Lily herself would officially be plastered on _The Profit_ by the time that rolled around, but Lily had known from the time she was a little girl that, because of her surname, she would have to get used to that behavior towards her.

The Floo spared then, just as she had set the notes aside, and she gathered Isis in her arms and got to her feet. "Hello?" she called into the flames.

"Lily? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Aunt Hermione, it's me," Lily confirmed.

"Severus and Harry at the school and the ministry?" she asked.

Lily nodded. "Hours ago now, yeah. Is everything okay? Did you need them?"

"No, not them," her aunt assured her. "Would you mind if I popped through? I needed to see you, actually."

"Of course," Lily said, smiling at the unexpected guest. "Come through."

Hermione stepped through the Floo and into the living room of Potter Park; she embraced Lily warmly, and Isis immediately struggled to get into her arms, which Lily promptly allowed. "I know my arrival wasn't planned," Hermione told her, and Lily immediately gestured for her to sit down in the chair by the hearth.

"Kreacher," Lily called out.

The aging house-elf immediately popped into view, and bowed deeply to Lily and Hermione; in the last twenty or so years, Kreacher had been more tolerate of Muggleborns, and had stopped the usage of the word 'Mudblood' entirely. "Mistress Lily, Mrs. Weasley," he said. "How may I be of service?" he asked.

"Some tea, please, Kreacher," Lily said.

"Of course, Mistress Lily," Kreacher said with another bow towards her; the house-elf loved and cared for both Al and Lily, but Lily was the first child, and, by all rights, the heir to all the families, so he had always been especially indulgent with her. "I shall return with it promptly, as mistress desires," he said, before he snapped his fingers, and was gone.

"You don't need to apologize for the unexpectedness of your arrival, Aunt Hermione," Lily told her aunt, once the house-elf had gone. "You know you're always welcome here at Potter Park, and I certainly had no plans today."

Hermione smiled as she stroked Isis, who purred softly as she slept in her lap. "Rose managed to come home the other day, during a weekly break the Harpies take every month from their vigorous practices and training," she said quietly.

Lily lowered her eyes, wishing to hide her disappointment from the notion that Rose—whom she had seen briefly at Aiden and Dagmar's wedding a week ago, for she had served as a bridesmaid to her cousin—had not deliberately sought her out either time. "Oh, I see," she said softly, lifting her head as Kreacher returned, carrying a tray with a teapot, two cups and saucers, along with a pot of cream and bowl of sugar, as well as a small cake for the two of them. "Thank you, Kreacher," Lily said quickly.

"Yes, Mistress Lily, Kreacher is honored to serve the House of Potter," he replied reverently to her, before setting down the tray upon the table, and returned to his duties elsewhere.

Lily immediately set to work, slicing the cake onto the provided plates, and pouring cups of tea for her aunt and for herself. "I hope Rose has been enjoying herself," she continued, thankful to have tasks so that she wouldn't have to look directly at her aunt.

"She has, or so she says," Hermione replied, accepting a plate of cake, as she began to add cream and sugar into her tea. "I've spoken to Rose about her recent behavior towards you, Lily, and I want you to understand that I don't support it."

Lily shook her head, stirring an over abundance of sugar into her tea, just how she liked it. "It really doesn't matter, Aunt Hermione," she told her. "Not that I'm not appreciative, I just think this should be something we resolve on our own."

Hermione smiled at Lily. "She's so like Ron sometimes in her stubbornness that I fear it could be the worst for her, if she continues in this fashion."

Lily sighed. "We'll work it out. We have to. We're... Gryffindors," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper, which caused Hermione to immediately set her tea and cake aside.

"Why the hesitation? You're a Gryffindor from the moment the Sorting Hat says so; it's like that for all the houses, Lily."

Lily swallowed, her shoulders hunching automatically. "You're the closest thing I've ever had to a mother, Aunt Hermione," she said, tentatively raising her eyes to meet hers, and Hermione was smiling at her. "It's just... Well, I discovered something on my final mission in Norway, on behalf of Luna and Rolf for _The Quibbler_..."

"Yes?" Hermione prompted.

Lily bit her lip. "Based on my reading, and the notion the half my family has been sorted into that house, I've become aware that other houses can take on traits... Like a Gryffindor, having traits of a Slytherin, for example..."

"And both your fathers are a prime example of that," Hermione told Lily gently. "Severus, for his courage when it came to being a double agent. And Harry, when it came to his cunning in figuring out how to defeat Tom Riddle."

"Me," Lily said.

"You?" asked Hermione. "How?"

Lily sighed, and allowed the hissing to come forth from her throat then, and she opened her mouth. "I feel I should tell someone else the truth," she said, speaking utterly in Parseltongue, and Hermione's brown eyes widened.

"You speak it?" she asked.

Lily nodded. "Since I was a girl, yes."

"That is how you were able to tame Selma," Hermione said, and Lily nodded a second time. "I do hope you didn't put that into your report. While it is nothing to be ashamed of, Lily, you don't want to be spreading it around, due to the stigma attached to it."

"Only Selma, my fathers, Al, and now you know. Plus some snakes I would speak to at the Burrow as a child."

Hermione looked concerned. "You don't seem proud..."

Lily shook her head. "Of course I'm not proud. The... The Sorting Hat was reluctant to place me into Gryffindor," she admitted.

"It what?" Hermione asked.

"I asked it to, just like Dad did, when he was eleven," Lily told her. "Rose had been sorted already, and I just didn't want..."

"Although Minerva has done well in her tenure as headmistress to bring down the stigma, I am well-aware of the darkness still surrounding Slytherin House," Hermione said softly. "You do know that both Harry and Severus wouldn't have minded, had you been sorted there?"

She nodded. "Of course I knew. But I still..."

"You wanted to be in Gryffindor," Hermione said, smiling at her. "You know, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me into Ravenclaw as well."

Lily blinked. "It did?"

"It did," Hermione confirmed.

Lily laughed. "Well, I suppose my persuasion otherwise certainly helped. Little did I know that perhaps Slytherin would have been better for me..."

"You can't know that, Lily," Hermione said.

"Guess I'm just feeling self-loathing a bit," Lily confessed. "Ever since I've been back at home, I don't have a new direction. Papa said I should rest, and I have been. But I feel as if I need to be productive somehow."

Hermione brightened at that. "Actually, that's why I came," she said, and Lily raised her eyebrows at her. "With the organization still going so well, we're constantly in need of more workers. I've decided to create a new position—a research worker, of sorts—to discover how and why the stigma began for Muggleborns within the Wizarding World. I think that you would be perfect for the position, Lily, if you would like it."

"Yes, yeah," Lily said, nodding eagerly. "Anything to get me out of the house for a few hours on a daily basis. I'd love it."

Hermione grinned, reaching forward and shaking Lily's hand. "Well, welcome aboard to the organization of Muggle Rights within the Wizarding World."

Lily shook her aunt's hand. "Happy to join," she replied.

. . .

In the weeks that followed Lily becoming a member of the organization of Muggle Rights within the Wizarding World, Lily began to feel that the time had come for her to make other living arrangements. Of course, given the notion that she was pregnant and wanted more than anything to give her child the nursery it deserved, she began house-hunting during the weekends. She didn't really say anything to Harry or Severus about it, although she had brought it up with both Al and Hermione, and they had promised to be discreet about it. Not the pregnancy, of course; it didn't take too much to keep her mouth shut about that, but she definitely thought it was time to strike out on her own.

Lily was initially considering a flat, but she knew that getting a carriage down multiple flights of stairs would be a nuisance. She was just about to give up, knowing that both Harry and Severus would be supportive about her pregnancy—after all, her father had been eighteen and twenty respectively when he had had her and Al, and Lily would be twenty when she ultimately gave birth the following year. However, it was one morning when Lily was cleaning up her small office to trek out into Diagon Alley for lunch, via the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, when Hermione came to her office, tapping on the door and opened it.

"Hey," she said brightly.

"Hi," Lily replied, smiling at her, and carefully keeping her ever-present sweater around her, now that she was just beginning to show. "Everything all right? I was just headed out for some lunch. I finished preliminary research on Sir Nicholas, although it is still unknown if he was a Muggleborn or not."

"You've set up a meeting with him?" Hermione asked.

"Next week," Lily confirmed. "As my former house ghost, he was only too happy to agree to meet with me, and discuss what he remembers about his life in detail."

Hermione nodded. "Wonderful," she replied, stepping into her office and shutting the door. "I heard from Al that you're growing discouraged in your house hunt."

Lily sighed and nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid all the flats I've looked at are closer to the top of the building, and full of Muggles, so the notion of me carrying a carriage down multiple flights of stairs every single day is driving me a bit mad."

Hermione smiled. "As well it should," she said, before pulling a piece of paper out and handing it over to Lily. "Ron and I discovered it over the weekend when we were out walking," she explained to her. "I know it's not a flat, and it is likely more expensive..."

"A town house would suffice just fine," Lily told her, smiling, as she looked through the information provided on the property, and saw just how secluded it was, given that it had a gate and small yard, front and back, attached. Lily also was pleased to see some of the pictures, and felt her heart warming at the notion that there were three bedrooms, not two, and so she could have a home office as well.

"I've made you an appointment for this afternoon," Hermione told her, and Lily looked up. "I also confirmed that it is a witch and wizard hub, so no Muggles in sight. In fact, no Muggles know about it, as it has some pretty strict wards up around it. Ron and I thought that it was a beautiful property, but if you don't think it will suit you, I can cancel with..."

Lily unexpectedly cut Hermione off as she ran forward, and threw herself into her aunt's arms with a laugh. "I can't tell you how happy I am," she said breathlessly. "Will you... Well, would you mind coming with me when I go to see it?"

Hermione smiled. "I'd be honored, Lily. Simply honored."

. . .

Suffice it to say, the visit to the property was a success and, because Lily had reached the age of majority, she had come into some of her inheritance already, so signing the papers and buying the property had been a piece of cake. She was relieved to find out that it was connected to the Floo Network, and immediately began getting her belongings, as well as Isis, into the new house later that same day. Isis, meanwhile, was delighted at the space, and took to running about the halls and rooms, trying to find the best spaces for a cat nap.

Lily returned home that night to Potter Park for dinner, and broke the news to her fathers that the papers had been signed, and that all of her things were now in her new home. Naturally, both of them came through the Floo that night, and Lily explained that she would be getting some furniture the following day on her lunch break. Although shocked at the unexpected turn of events, both Harry and Severus were happy for their daughter, and wished her well, before they, too returned home for the night.

That weekend, Lily managed to find every last piece of furniture, and had spent all of Saturday and Sunday decorating the nursery in mostly creams and whites. She would add some color, she decided, once she knew for sure if she was going to have a witch or wizard. Of course, if her child turned out to be a Squib, Lily immediately knew that it wouldn't matter to her. However, she had felt some humming from within her whenever she casted a spell these days, prompting her to realize that she did indeed carry a magical child.

It was four days after she moved into the town house, on a Monday, when she was given the day off from the organization, because it was her birthday. Lily had awoken on a crisp, fall morning, and smiled at the sun glowing through the autumn leaves of the trees surrounding each and every one of her bedroom windows. Getting up, she took a shower and dressed quickly, knowing that she was expected at Potter Park that evening for her birthday celebrations. Al had been granted special permission to leave Hogwarts for the evening with Severus, and Rose was even leaving training sessions to come as well, and Lily hoped, more than anything, that this would mean that her and her best friend were back on track.

Lily arrived at Potter Park in the late afternoon, dressed in a pantsuit, which she had taken to wearing to work on a daily basis, due to the fashionable, and concealing, blazers that they frequently came with. That day, her pants and blazer were black, while her top was white. She wore a necklace that her parents had bought for her, shortly after she had become an Animagus, and she hardly took it off. The chain was rose-gold—as Severus had insisted on silver, and Harry wanted gold—and its pendant was half a wildcat, half a profile of her. She thought it was rather funny, but it was so close to her heart that she still wore it.

"Happy Birthday!" came the chorus of everyone—Harry and Severus, Al and Alice, Ron and Hermione, Rose and Hugo, Neville and Draco, Aiden and Dagmar, Dean and Ginny, Arthur and Molly, Bill and Fleur, Remus and Tonks, Fred and Angelina, George, and Dean and Ginny's other daughter, Tullia.

Lily grinned automatically at the crowd, and thanked them for coming. However, her cheeks automatically flamed when Al moved to hand her a goblet of Firewhiskey. "Al, wait. I can't just—" she began.

"To Lily!" Al proclaimed.

"Lily!" the crowd proclaimed, and Lily steadfastly wouldn't drink with them.

Rose stepped closer to Lily then, and stared at her. "What's wrong?" she asked, managing to pull her away from the crowd. "Look, I know I haven't been your best friend lately, but..."

"You'll always be my best friend," Lily assured her, and hugged her, and felt relieved when Rose hugged her back. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too," Rose said sincerely, before pulling back. She clandestinely cast a silencing charm around them, before peering into Lily's face. "Are you all right?"

Lily sighed, and shook her head. "Not completely, no."

"You nervous about the job? About living on your own? Because I've talked to Mum, and she says you've been doing great, and the house looks fantastic..."

Lily shook her head, which quieted Rose. "No. No, it's nothing like that."

"Are you ill?" she wanted to know. "Is that why you didn't drink the Firewhiskey?"

"I couldn't drink it because I'm pregnant, Rose," Lily said, speaking quickly, for fear that she would lose all her Gryffindor courage in one fell swoop. "I'm pregnant," she said again, and stared into Rose's face.

"Is it... Is it Aiden's she wanted to know?"

Lily swallowed. "I don't know," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "It could be his. But I also had some times with other wizards in Sweden and Norway, after he left. It wasn't very many," she said quickly.

Rose smiled and shook her head. "I'd never think badly of you, Lily."

Lily looked around then, and saw that Dagmar was pale, and that Aiden was making his apologizes to everyone, before the pair of them stepped into the Floo and left. "Well, that was awfully Serendipitous," she said, laughing. "I didn't have any Liquid Luck on me today, so it couldn't be that..."

Rose laughed. "Do you want to tell them?" she asked. "I could set off an undetectable spell to get them all to panic and leave..."

Lily laughed back at Rose, thankful to have her back. "No. Just... Stay beside me, when I do tell them. If you wouldn't mind..."

Rose smiled, and took Lily's hand, squeezing it. "It's the least I can do, given that I've been such a pain lately," she replied, taking down the silencing charm.

Lily swallowed, relieved to have Rose beside her as she made her way back towards the Floo, fully intending to make a run for it if things didn't end well. "Excuse me," she said, positioning her wand at her throat to amplify her voice, and was successful, given that each conversation around her stopped, and everyone turned towards her. "I wanted to let you all know that, it seems, the Potter line is going to continue."

Harry blinked, his green eyes flashing. "How, Lily?" he asked, his tone hesitant.

"It's going to continue because I'm pregnant," she replied, her voice shaking. "It appears as if I'm going to have a child next spring."

Severus looked shocked at his daughter's declaration. "Lily..."

"Lily!" cried Al, likely saving his sister from certain condemnation, and darted across the room, throwing his arms around her. "That's simply splendid!"

Lily laughed then, the noise growing slightly nervous as Harry and Severus stared at her, their eyes radiating shock. "Thanks, Al," she replied. "Look, I didn't know how else to tell you," she said to parents later, once the party had broken up, and the guests had gone home.

"How long have you known?" Severus asked.

"Since Al's term started, last month," Lily replied. "Remember, I told you I was tired and feeling ill, and I left King's Cross early?"

"I remember," Harry confirmed. "You were peaky."

She nodded. "I was. I called for Madam Pomfrey, and she told me after I arrive. My magic glowed pink," she admitted, and Severus nodded.

"A pregnancy confirmation, a magical one," he confirmed. "Had you not been pregnant, it would have glowed blue."

"Good to know," Lily said softly, and sighed. "Look, I never intended on telling you, not like this, anyhow. I mean, I wanted it to be a more private affair. But once Al shoved that drink into my hand, I felt as if I was going to lose it."

"It's never advised to drink while pregnant," Harry told her.

"I know that," Lily whispered. "Which is why the only thing I could do, reasonably, was to let everyone know right then."

"Are you doing this alone?" Severus asked.

Lily turned and looked at him. "Why would that matter, Papa? It's 2018. If I want to have a baby alone, I can have a baby alone."

"Harry raised you alone for the first several months of your life, Lily, and I will never forgive myself for that," Severus told her.

Harry took his husband's hand. "You were cursed," he whispered to him.

"And then my pigheadedness stood in the way to boot," Severus muttered.

"I'm doing this alone," Lily told them, which immediately caught their attention.

"Who is the father?" Harry asked.

"Is it Aiden?" Severus wanted to know.

Lily swallowed, knowing that this was frequently a question one would ask. "I'm not sure who the father is, but I don't think it's Aiden," she said quietly.

Harry sighed, before reaching out a hand for his daughter, which she promptly took. "I promise, Lily, no matter what happens, I'm here for you."

Severus nodded, and took his daughter's hand as well. "No matter what you need, and when you need it, just ask. We're both her, Lily."

Lily smiled then, and hugged them both. "Thank you," she whispered, but she knew that they could hear her. "I don't know what I would ever do without you two."


	5. I Won't Be Silenced

Scorpius sat in the drawing room of Longbottom Lodge; it was precisely one floor above the parlor on the ground floor, except this one was mainly just reserved for family and very close friends of the family. He was holding a tumbler of scotch in his fingers, swirling around the amber-colored liquid, not really caring about the outcome of the day. Yes, _The Profit_ and _The Quibbler_ had had many stories about him lately, since he'd graduated from Hogwarts, and especially since he'd gone out in public with one Eloise Chang.

Eloise was a Half-Blood, so suffice it to say all the older Pureblood witches and wizards, who may have been a bit too set in their old ways, were calling sacrilege for the company that Scorpius chose to keep. Eloise had been a year behind him, Lily, and Rose at Hogwarts, but had been sorted into Slytherin House as he had. She had taken on the surname of her mother, Cho, a Ravenclaw student and contemporary of Scorpius's own parents and friends, after her Muggleborn father had left the family, as soon as Eloise and her twin brother, Elliot, who had been sorted into Ravenclaw, showed signs of magic as infants.

Scorpius remembered when he had first encountered Eloise; of course, he had done so on a great many occasions growing up. At Malfoy Manor, which Scorpius was due to inherit one day, after his grandparents passed it to his fathers, and then to him, his Malfoy grandparents would hold grand parties to wizarding families. However, they had become much more tolerant of the various families around them, and were welcoming to all, since their son, and Scorpius's father, Draco, had joined the cause for Muggle rights within the Wizarding World. At one of these parties, Scorpius, in the wake of Lily running out after Rose of their final party at Longbottom Lodge which Scorpius had hosted, he himself had been nursing a goblet of Firewhiskey, when a tall drink of water with the most beautiful legs he'd ever seen walked over.

"Having a good time?" Eloise asked, the painted red smile on her pretty face reaching her dark eyes, fenced by full lashes. Her hair, long, dark, and curly, was pulled halfway up by an expensive-looking pin, and her nails were colored green. She was a perfect blend of Chinese and Scottish, and her pale skin reflected both sides of that same coin. She wore a green, silk dress, which had a close-fitting top, which emphasized her blossomed figure, and was cut down into a U-shape; the skirt portion of it, however, flared outwards, and came to rest just above her knees. She wore green heels to match the dress that evening, and a pear-shaped emerald, suspended on a platinum chain and surrounded by expertly-cut circular diamonds, hung from her throat.

Scorpius smirked; he could see right through Eloise, given that the Slytherin cunning seemed to be practically dripping from her pores. He could plainly see that her face was beautiful, and how lovely she would look on his arm, but, given that she was likely here to make a betrothal match before her final year at Hogwarts didn't faze him a bit. "I could say I was," he said levelly, with a small shrug of his shoulders, "but then I'd be lying."

Eloise took this information in stride as she stepped closer, conjuring some Firewhiskey into her own goblet. "Slytherins don't get into trouble for lying."

"How did your mother react?" he asked her then, and Eloise gave him a curious expression at that, so Scorpius knew that he had to give her more information. "When you were sorted into Slytherin, I mean. Was she all right with it?"

Eloise shrugged her white shoulders. "We never much talked about it, to be honest with you. I mean, after our wretch of a father left, Elliot clung to Mum, whereas I became independent, defiantly so..." She pursed her red lips. "I would stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, and no matter how many times Mum would attempt to reach out..."

"You just wanted some space?" Scorpius guessed.

Eloise smiled. "Admittedly, yes. I just didn't want to appear to be a burden. So then came the Prefect's badge fifth-year, and I'm assigned as Head Girl for next term..."

"Congratulations," Scorpius put in. "You seem to care about the rules."

"Or enforcing them," Eloise replied with a quick smile. "So, why is it you're not having a good time?" she wanted to know. "Lord and Lady Malfoy are lovely hosts, and you're fortunate enough to call them your grandparents."

"You don't have grandparents?" Scorpius guessed.

"The man I'm forced to name as my father cut us off entirely, and so we never really knew his family, unfortunately. They shared his feelings about labeling me and my brother freaks," she practically spat. "As for Mum's parents, her father died during the Second Wizarding War, and her mum died right before we were born."

"I'm not having a good time because I ruined a couple of friendships," Scorpius admitted, and Eloise raised her eyebrows at that. "I handled a situation poorly, and now I'm being ostracized from the entire group."

Eloise mulled that over for a moment. "Well, perhaps you should try a different approach," she said softly.

Scorpius blinked. "How?"

"Well, who is your closest friend? Start there. Do they have a connection with the other friends you've supposedly ruined things with?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes, there is a connection."

"Well, start there," Eloise encouraged him. "Your best friend can't keep silent with you forever, dear Scorpius," she told him.

Scorpius sighed, before the wizarding violin quartet began to play, and turned back to look at Eloise for a moment. "Would you care to dance?" he asked, offering his hand.

Playing the part perfectly, Eloise put her perfectly-manicured hand into Scorpius's. "I can think of nothing better," she replied.

Pulled back to the present, Scorpius looked up at the door of the drawing room, and saw his younger sister, Alice, standing there, worry in her dark eyes. "What is it, Adalheidis?" he asked her, hardly ever calling her the full name that their fathers had given to her.

Alice pursed her lips, never quite liking the full version of her name, as she shut the door behind her and crossed the room, removing her wand from her dress pocket, her thick, brown braid swinging about behind her head. She took in the tumbler in her brother's hand and hastily drew it out, vanishing both the scotch within and the portion left in the glass-cut bottle upon the alcoholic beverage tray beside the window. "You know there will be hell to pay with Eloise if she catches you drinking," she muttered. "Evanescunt Olfacies," she said breathlessly, vanishing the scent of the alcohol that clung to her brother.

Scorpius gave Alice a sour expression at the notion that she was essentially mothering him, and pulled away, getting to his feet and going towards the tray.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Alice said, pointing her wand at the tray. "Evanesco!" came her shout, and each liquid in the various holding containers disappeared.

Scorpius sighed. "I just needed a nip before the announcement..."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Silencio," she said, pointing her wand at the door behind them and biting at her bottom lip. "Scorp, really. If you need a nip for that, I can't imagine what it'll be like in eighteen weeks, when the biggest challenge happens," she muttered.

Scorpius turned around, facing his sister. "The biggest challenge?"

"Having to stand next to her!" she hissed, making a pained expression. "Thankfully, she hasn't banned Albus from these things, otherwise, I'd go mad..."

"She cannot ban him," Scorpius replied, his tone level. "He's to be standing next to me." His fair brow took in his younger sister then and, as he peered closer, he let out a sigh. "Why are you under a Disillusionment Charm, Alice?"

Alice swallowed, now wishing she could pour herself a drink. Instead, she pocketed her wand and turned away from her brother. "I'm not under any such thing, Scorpius. Now, we'd best head downstairs and get this whole day over with—"

"Offero," Scorpius said then, his wand falling into his hand, and the white light temporarily blinding Alice as she turned back around.

"Scorp!" she screamed as the light fell away. Alice quickly took down her plait, although that didn't really help matters, as her hair appeared lank and thin. Her dress hung off her dangerously thin figure, while the skin beneath her eyes appeared bruised from lack of sleep. Her lips were chapped and her cheek bones were deep and drawn, while her brown eyes showed a pain that Scorpius didn't think was possible from a carefree girl like his sister.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Scorpius demanded then, glaring at her. "Has Albus done this to you?!"

"No!" Alice yelled, narrowing her eyes. "He loves me, and I love him. He's never even touched me...in this way," she said, her face flushing.

Scorpius swallowed, pinching the bridge of his nose, not really wanting to consider his best mate and younger sister in the same bed, and pushed the thought aside. "Then, what is going on?" he asked, lowering his hand and staring at her.

Alice's eyes locked with her brother's then, and she was about to tell him as her mouth fell open, but, upon the notion that she could hear a distinct pair of high heels on the stairs outside the drawing room, her heart leapt to her throat. Just as the door was pushed open, Alice had finished stating, "Finite Incantatem," and returned to her previous state, with her braid, dress, and everything else in its place.

"How's everything going?" Eloise asked, breezing into the room and greeting Scorpius with a passionate kiss. "Alice, dear, Albus is awaiting you downstairs."

"Thank you, Eloise," Alice replied. "Just making sure that Scorpius didn't reek. I heard a rumor at the ministry that photographers are developing a way for the reader to actually smell what the pictured smell like."

Eloise's eyes widened. "Thank you, Alice, for thinking of that important matter," she said, gratitude in her tone. "Hurry along now. We must keep up appearances."

"Actually," Scorpius said as Alice attempted to head for the exit, "Alice and I were in the middle of a conversation."

"Were you?" Eloise asked, her eyes quickly trained back onto Alice. "Well, I'm sure whatever you had to say to Scorpius can be said in front of me."

Alice smiled quickly. "It was nothing, really," she replied sincerely. "Just wanted to wish my brother good luck."

Eloise smiled. "How kind of you, Alice. We'll see you down there."

Alice nodded. "Of course," she replied, escaping from the room at last, before Scorpius could attempt to call her back again.

. . .

Lily immediately floo-d over to Dagmar's place when she'd been called over that crisp, mid-February morning. There were icicles suspended from all the trees surrounding her home's windows, and, when she stepped through the Floo and into Dagmar and Aiden's beautiful cottage in Cornwall, already hearing the winter wind causing the waves of the nearby sea to crash upon the cliffs beyond. It was quite a feat to do so, and she'd been warned about traveling now that she was in her eighth month of pregnancy by Madam Pomfrey and Severus, for nobody wanted anything to happen to her unborn child.

"Dagmar?" she called out, casting a quick Cleaning Charm on her and around the area, not wanting to track ash everywhere. While she had not been as close to Gideon, Dagmar, or Tullia as she had to Rose and Hugo, she was still quite fond of the trio and had always been on good terms with the fellow Gryffindors. "You around?" she asked again, and let out a surprised laugh as Dagmar walked into the living room.

"You came," Dagmar said, pulling in Lily for a hug.

"Of course I did," Lily assured her, and they mutually sat on the couch, while Dagmar levitated a tea tray from the kitchen and onto the coffee table in front of them. "It's not often I get to see my dear cousin." She hesitated for a moment as Dagmar levitated the teapot, and gestured for it to pour into the two cups. "We weren't ever as close as Rose and I were, and I'm sorry for that, Mara, I really am."

Dagmar smiled slightly then, levitating Lily's teacup towards her. "Milk or sugar?" she asked her softly then, and Lily nibbled at her lip.

"Just sugar, thanks," she said softly, and summoned three lumps to plop themselves into her cup of tea. "Look, Mara, I'm not just trying to get on your good side or anything. We're family. If there's something I did..."

Dagmar sighed, shaking her head as she turned and stared at Lily, stirring some milk and sugar into her own teacup. "No, you haven't done anything, Lily," she told her, her voice soft. "It is merely that I had a question, but I was fearful of your reaction..."

Lily, who had sipped a bit of tea into her mouth, swallowed it a little too quickly. She cleared her throat to prevent the tickle from forming into a full-blown cough, and nodded, setting her cup back onto the table. "You wanted to ask if the baby was Aiden's?" she asked, and quickly smiled at Dagmar, letting her know she wasn't angry.

"I know it's silly of me," Dagmar said, pulling slightly at her red bun; while her father and siblings possessed the cocoa-colored skin of their father, Dagmar fully resembled to Weasley clan, and often felt out of place, something that she and Lily had in common. "I know that Aiden is a good and loyal husband to me. I'm not best pleased that he decided to go to Finland yesterday to do research on the Horklump," she went on, her tone slightly bitter.

Lily reached out then, taking Dagmar's hand. "Stress isn't good for the babies," she said gently to her, and smiled. "I know that Asher and Louisa are going to be quite a handful as it is—they have Weasley blood in them," she joked, and Dagmar smiled. "But I want to assure you, Mara, that Aiden is not the father of my child. I haven't told anyone who it is, but Madam Pomfrey gave me the dates of conception, and Aiden was already back in England, and likely, already with you by the time I got this in me."

Dagmar let out a sigh of relief, and dashed her tears from her eyes. "Like I said, I knew it was silly of me, Lily. I mean, I know that you don't have any designs on Aiden, and even if the child was his, I know that we would have worked something out."

Lily squeezed Dagmar's hand. "Even though he is not the father, I'm pleased to hear you say such a thing anyhow," she told her.

Dagmar looked as if she would say something more, but a screech of something from outside broke the witches apart and, turning, she saw the family owl, Mare—the Latin word for 'sea—appear upon the bottom half of the open door. "The sea air calms me," Dagmar explained, and Lily nodded, very aware of the warming charms in the living room. Dagmar crossed the room and fetched the post from Mara, and stroked her feathers. "There is a plate for you in the kitchen, my dear," she whispered, and the owl hooted before fluttering off. Dagmar returned to the couch and sat beside Lily, setting _The Profit_ down before she looked through the mail.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Lily asked and, waiting for Dagmar's nod, which came, she quickly unwrapped it. "Thanks," she replied. Lily felt her mouth go dry and her hands shake as she took in the headline before her.

_Longbottom-Malfoy Heir Makes it Official with Chang Girl by Announcing Engagement_, the front page of _The Profit _declared to Lily. Lily took in the photograph, taken on the lawn of Longbottom Lodge, and saw how breathtaking the couple looked. Scorpius was wearing dress robes, and was smiling for the flashbulbs and answering questions. Eloise, meanwhile, was on Scorpius's arm and waving, positively beaming at the public before her; the left side of her hair was pinned back around her head, while the right was free, and wavy down her front.

"Lily."

Lily's eyes flashed to Dagmar's then, and felt the slight pressure of her cousin's hand gently gripping her arm. "Y...yes?"

"You're pale," Dagmar said, and reached up to feel Lily's forehead, and Lily shook from the contact bestowed upon her. "Are you all right?"

Lily swallowed, forcing a smile to her lips. "Sure I am," she said, casting a quick Tempus Charm and shaking her head. "Promised Aunt Hermione I'd write something up for her," she said lamely and got unsteadily to her feet.

"Well, all right," Dagmar said, following her as she moved towards the Floo. "Sure you're doing all right, Lily?"

Lily let out a laugh then, and knew it sounded harsh, but she was past caring. "I will be fine, Mara," she assured her, as she grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Potter Residence, London," she intoned, and tossed the powder inside, before the flames swallowed her up. She managed to reach her own living room without tumbling down, but her knees buckled then, and she crashed to the floor, a wail escaping from her lips before she could call it back. Looking down, she saw blood running down her legs and gathering onto the floor, and her eyes filled with tears. She shut her eyes then, recalling that spell book she'd gotten for Christmas, and pushed all negativity from her mind, and whispered, "Expecto Patronum," and three Scottish wildcats came darting out of the tip of her wand, and looked to her for further instructions. "You, go to Potter Park at once," she ordered the first one, "you to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic, and you to Hogwarts," she managed to get out to the second and third cat respectively. "Something is wrong with the baby. I need help," she said, and nodded for the cats to leave, and they did. Lily clutched her stomach, and gazed at the ceiling. "Someone come quick," she said softly, feeling her strength leaving her, but swallowed then and pushed herself upwards. "No, no, no," she said, calling for a Wiggenweld Potion, and unstopped it with her teeth, and dunked it down her throat. "Not you," she went on, and caressed her stomach as she tore off her jeans and underwear. "My darling, not you..." She shut her eyes then, feeling as if something wished to escape her, and went along with the movements that filled her, and felt something come out then, as she attempted to catch her breath. Her eyes flew open then, and she summoned a blanket immediately, when she laid eyes upon the screaming infant that lay between her legs. "Merlin," she whispered, casting a Cleaning Charm on the babe and on herself before she gathered it into her arms, pressing a kiss to the baby's white forehead.

There was long black hair growing out from the baby's head, and it seemed to calm itself instantly as Lily hushed its cries. It had a pink mouth and wide, light blue eyes, and stared at its mother with fierce intelligence. The baby had perfect, long fingers, just like Lily and Severus had had, and an elegant, straight nose. Lily felt her heart swell at the baby in her arms, who nuzzled itself closer, clearly hungry.

"Eileen," she whispered, the name coming to her lips as she managed to levitate herself to her feet, and charm her bloodied clothes into the laundry. She took care of the blood stain on the wood floor underneath her, and moved herself into her bedroom. She looked down at her daughter again, feeling that warmth again as she crawled into bed, and took another Wiggenweld Potion for the pain she anticipated would come. "Eileen Rose Potter... Allie. My little Allie. I promise," she told her daughter, "I will never allow anyone to take you from me, for not even your father knows that you are here," she told her.

. . .

"Lily!" came the collective shouts of Harry, Severus, Al, and Hermione as they all streamed into the various fireplaces of her town home in Chelsea, to the point where Lily had to put a bubble of Silencing Charm around Eileen's head, so that nobody would wake her. Lily had just given birth a quarter of an hour ago, unaided, and was quite shocked to see the four humans rush into her bedroom, and one house-elf, who seemed to push everyone back, and pull along a lace-covered cradle type bed, which he stationed just beside Lily's bed.

"Mistress Lily's own bed as a wee baby," Kreacher explained, his pale eyes filled with tears as he took in the sight of his mistress holding her first child. "Might Kreacher be permitted to know what Mistress Lily has named her little girl?"

"This is Eileen, Kreacher," Lily said gently, and took in the sharp intake of breath from Severus as she said the name, and looked up at him. "Eileen Rose Potter," she went on, and detected that Hermione's eyes filled with tears at the middle name.

"Are you all right, Lily?" Al asked, moving to sit beside Lily on the bed. "Alice and I were having brunch with Scorpius and Eloise when your Patronus found us."

Lily blinked. "I... I didn't send a Patronus to Longbottom Lodge, or Malfoy Manor," she said, doing her best to keep her tone casual, and not choked as she wanted to, at the mention of who her brother had been eating with.

Al shook his head, putting an arm around his sister's shoulders. "We were dining at Potter Park this morning, Lily," he went on. "Alice, Scorpius, and Eloise didn't have to get to the ministry until the afternoon."

"They're all working there now?" Lily practically squeaked.

"Yes, love," Harry said gently to his daughter. "Alice is in the Auror Department with me, while Scorpius is in the Improper Use of Magic Office, and Eloise is a worker within the Pest Advisory Bureau," he explained.

_Makes sense that she'd work in something involving the word pest_, Lily thought to herself as she lowered her eyes to her daughter. _I've seen firsthand what someone like Eloise is capable of. If she much as knows that Eileen exists_...

_Careful there,_ came the voice of Severus in her mind. _Is this something that you wish to share with the rest of us_?

_No_, Lily yelled at her father internally. _Stay out of my head_!

_As you wish_, Severus replied.

"Well, glad to know that they're being productive members of Wizarding Society," Lily said softly, cradling her daughter closer to her.

"Are you feeling all right, Lily?"

Lily raised her eyes to Hermione, who had not yet spoken, save for crying out for Lily, as the others had done, upon arrival. "Fine, perfectly, Aunt Hermione," Lily told her, and forced a smile to her lips.

Severus stepped forward, pulling out his wand, and cast a Diagnostic Spell over the sleeping Eileen, and Lily glared up at him. "Preventative measures should be taken, dearest," he told his daughter softly, as the tip of the wand produced the piece of inked parchment, which Lily made an effort to grab, but Severus got to it much more quickly.

"Git," Harry muttered under his breath.

Severus cocked an eyebrow at his husband before he turned his attention back to the paper he now held. "Although Eileen was born prematurely and in less-than-favorable circumstances, it seems as if she is perfectly healthy at six pounds eleven ounces, and twenty inches long, and seems to be surrounded by love."

"It does not say that!" Al said, smirking up at his father.

Severus vanished the parchment and fixed his son with a look. "I am permitted to embellish a bit, I feel, Al." He sighed, turning back to his daughter. "You've fed her?"

"Before you arrived, yes. And I took a nutrient potion, plus some Wiggenweld, to stave off hunger and pain."

"Good," Severus replied, pleased that his daughter was taking care of herself. "We will leave you now to rest, if that is not objectionable to you."

Lily shook her head. "No, of course," she said, and caught Al's hand as he moved to leave. "I do hope you will tell Alice that she is welcome over at any time?"

Al blinked, and Severus caught the exchange before he left the room, trailing after Kreacher, Harry, and Hermione. "Why would she be welcome over...?"

Lily sighed; she couldn't tell him the full truth, she knew that. "Alice has been there for me," she told her brother gently. "You've been preoccupied with your N.E.W.T.'s just around the corner, and I do understand. But Dad has given Alice an easy schedule, and she stops by several times a week to check up on me." She raised her eyebrows. "She told you, didn't she? I mean, with Rose having all those matches and Dagmar so close to her time with the twins, plus Aunt Hermione's long-standing duties to the ministry..."

"She told me," Al said, nodding. "Just didn't think you'd become that close."

Lily blinked. "It doesn't bother you, does it?"

Al grinned and shook his head. "Course not. If I can't be with her, I know she's in safe hands while she's with you."

Lily forced a smile onto her face at the accuracy of the statement, and wondered just how much Al knew about his girlfriend, and what she had been hiding, and what Alice knew about her that she hadn't told anyone.

. . .

"Were you followed?" Lily asked, securing the wards again once Alice stepped into her house, and shut and locked the door behind her.

"No," Alice said, quickly putting her arms around Lily and holding her for a moment. "I know it's been a fortnight since Eileen's birth, but, I'm sorry. What with all the plans for the wedding, and me forced to stand as Maid of Honor, plus working for your dad..."

"It's all right," Lily assured her, squeezing Alice one final time before backing away from her, and spelled her coat to the hooks beside the front door. "Come along, then. Eileen should be waking up from her afternoon nap at any moment."

Alice smiled, taking off her gloves and scarf and putting them in her coat pocket and around the coat hook respectively. "Good," she said, following Lily down the hallway and into the nursery, which had been left open. Alice stepped towards the crib, standing beside Lily, and looked inside as the baby girl's eyes opened, smiling at the new face.

"Well, here she is," Lily said breathlessly, lifting up Eileen and showing her off to Alice. "Well, what do you think?"

Alice sighed. "I think I'm thankful for certain spells."

Lily nodded. "As am I," she replied, moving out into the living room, Alice at her heels, and the pair of witches sat down on the couch. Lily shifted Eileen's weight slightly, so that she was propped up against her back. "How are the preparations going?" she asked.

"I believe the Muggle term is bridezilla," Alice replied, wrinkling her nose. "However, Eloise has the appearance of being so simpering and cordial that nobody would ever tell her that she was being demanding."

Lily sighed. "I'm just glad that Rose hasn't fallen under her spell."

"If it weren't for her love of Quidditch, I'm pretty sure that Eloise would declare that Rose is public enemy number one."

"And me?"

Alice swallowed. "You never outwardly showed romantic affection for Scorp. Therefore, Eloise has nothing to fear." She reached across between them then, offering Eileen her finger, which the baby promptly grabbed onto. "Again, I'm thankful for certain spells."

"Certainly," Lily said, her tone soft. "I don't know what I'd do if Eloise did something, anything, to Eileen..."

Alice swallowed. "You'd kill her," she said simply. "If it's to you, however, and you can still stand at the end of it..." She shrugged. "Absolutely nothing."

Lily looked up at Alice slowly. "How many spells are you under now?" she asked.

"Several," Alice replied. "I know that Al wants to move in together as soon as he graduates in the summer, but I..."

"You haven't told him?" Lily guessed.

Alice shook her head. "No, of course I haven't. Al is powerful, but so is Eloise. I'm afraid of what would happen if he knew."

Lily swallowed. "The alternative is unacceptable, Alice," she told her, and Alice hunched her shoulders around her body. "You cannot live like this!"

Alice sighed. "At least I'll be moving back into my flat after the wedding," she muttered. "Eloise doesn't like me much to begin with, thankfully. Perhaps she won't make herself a frequent guest in my home."

"And until then?"

"Until then, I'll use as many spells and potions that I can get my hand on," she whispered. "It's only me she hates to this extreme, Lily. As far as I know, it's not happening to anyone else. If I keep my mouth shut until then..."

"What if they try for children?"

"Of course they will," Alice said, crossing her arms. "The Longbottom-Malfoys need an heir, and I'll likely take the name of my husband when the time comes for me to be married. It will fall to Eloise to provide the heir."

"What if their children do something to make her hate them?" Lily wanted to know, and Alice swallowed audibly. "What if they find themselves in the same boat as you are? What then? Will you speak out then?"

"Naturally," Alice replied. "But they are not me..."

"Alice..."

"...nor are they Eileen." Her eyes drifted back down to the baby then, shaking her head. "Who else knows?"

Lily sighed. "You know," she told her. "I suspect Madam Pomfrey suspects, as does my father Severus. As for Al..." She shrugged. "I could not say. But other than that..."

"So, it is only me who knows for sure?"

"Correct," Lily told her.

Alice sighed. "You did not wish for me to make an Unbreakable Vow, but I would be willing to do so, Lily."

Lily shook her head. "No, of course you don't. I trust you."

Alice slowly smiled then. "You're one of the few who do," she replied.

. . .

"Don't fuss now, baby," Lily whispered to Eileen, who was annoyed by the constant spells that her mother had to put upon her before taking her out in public. She would manipulate her eye color and the shape of her face, but, other than that, it all came down to the aim. Once that task was completed, Lily put Eileen into the beautiful dress that Molly Weasley had sent over for her on that day, and sighed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said quietly to her four-month-old daughter, as she stared down at her. "I really am. But, until it is safe, we cannot risk certain people finding out who you truly are."

Eileen stared up at her mother with her darkened eyes, and seemed to understand. She reached up for her mother then, and Lily smiled indulgently and scooped her into her arms. With a sudden crack, they were in the parlor at Longbottom Lodge, and Lily made their way towards the French doors, which opened up onto the terrace, where the ceremony was due to begin in the next twenty or so minutes. Lily swallowed then, holding Eileen close as reporters from _The Profit_ and _The Quibbler_ surrounded her, demanding a photo of her daughter, and asking Lily what she had been up to professionally.

Lily waved off the questions and walked towards the hedge maze that the lodge's back garden sported, and ambled along the exterior. She pressed a kiss to Eileen's forehead, and as she walked along, she heard familiar voice. She ceased in her loud steps and silenced them instantly as she pressed herself against the hedge and edged closer.

"I only agreed to tell you because you've been so moody lately!" Alice said then, as Lily peered around the hedge, and saw her speaking to Al. "What's been going on with you?"

"You promised to tell me today, Alice. Tell me what's happening."

"No," Alice said hotly, narrowing her brown eyes. "You go first."

Al sighed, conjuring a flask and drinking from it, which made Alice step back immediately from his perceived wobbly steps. "I failed the N.E.W.T.'s," he muttered and Lily, unseen by the hedge, clasped a hand over her mouth.

"You've done _what_?!" Alice cried out then, looking horrified. "Al, what on earth possessed you to do such a thing?! You know you can't graduate if you don't..."

"I _know_ that," Al growled back, clearly frustrated at the situation and not with Alice. "It was a bitter pill to swallow, but McGonagall already told me I'll have to repeat my final year next term, and it was bloody embarrassing."

Alice swallowed, wringing her hands on the ugly pink Maid of Honor dress with puffed sleeves and an equally puffed skirt she'd been made to wear that day by Eloise, and shook her head. "I am sorry, Al, really," she said, her tone far more gentle this time, as she stepped forward, the tendrils of her hair deliberately detached from the bun upon the back of her head, curled for the special occasion, blew slowly in the summery breeze around then.

Al sighed, vanishing the flask and turning to look at Alice. "Look, I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, because of my failures..."

"You clearly failed because you were preoccupied with me," Alice replied. "I'll never forgive myself for that, Al. I won't."

Al shook his head. "I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have."

"You're frustrated," Alice said simply. "No harm done."

Al's brow puckered slightly then and, as he peered closer at Alice, a wave of understanding seemed to fly past him. "Wait... You're wearing a Disillusionment Charm, aren't you, Alice?" he asked her, his voice trembling.

Alice lowered her eyes. "Yes."

"But what...?" He cut himself off, shaking his head as he attempted to understand the situation handed to him. "Why would you...?"

Alice slowly took out her wand and turned it on herself, muttering, "Finite Incantatem," and the spell of broken, leaving Alice, standing before the love of her life, with lank hair, a frail body, and various cuts along her arms, neck, and face, which were the only bits of flesh currently exposed to the human eye.

"Alice!" Al cried out then, moving to grab her in his shock but, seeing her wince before him, thought better of it and stood back. "What...? What?!" he cried out then, tears escaping his eyes and going down his cheeks.

"I didn't want to tell you," Alice replied, her voice breaking. "I was afraid of what would happen if you knew what..."

"I bloody well want to know what," Al replied, his voice shaking. "Please... I mean, you didn't do this to yourself, did you?"

Alice shook her head. "No. It was done to me. Scorp thought you'd done it to me, but I was quick to set him straight."

"He knows?"

Alice sighed. "He knows about this," she said, gesturing to her body, "but not how I happened to have gotten this way."

"Tell me, then," Al ordered softly. "Please. Tell me what happened to you."

"E... Eloise did it," Alice replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Al's eyes blazed with anger then, and he took off in the direction where Lily stood, nearly stumbling over his older sister and niece as he stomped past. "Wait—Lily?!" Al demanded then as Alice rushed behind him.

"Al, don't—" Alice begged.

"She knows, too?!" Al demanded.

Lily swallowed. "I know," she told him, trying to calm him. "And I know it's going to take a bit of time, but what you've got to understand is—"

"What I've got to understand is that I've got murder on my mind," Al growled back, stomping past the three of them and going in a side door of Longbottom Lodge, with Lily and Alice doing their best to keep up with him.

"Al, no!" Alice begged again.

"Don't do this!" Lily shouted.

However, Al threw up a wandless Silencing Charm behind him, and stomped towards the door that Eloise was supposed to be getting ready behind. Al charmed the door open and went inside, before a scream could be heard, and then a blinding white light, which seemed to push Lily and Alice far backwards. They were able to watch from the room they had been blown in that Eloise stepped out of the room a moment later, looking mighty pleased with herself, and moved towards the outside to marry into the Longbottom-Malfoy clan. When Lily and Alice could move out of the room again, with Lily checking over Eileen as they ran into the room and finding no damage on her daughter, Lily and Alice let out silent screams as they caught sight of Al, who was bound by the Cruciatus Curse, a mask of pain in his black eyes, as he stared up at his sister, niece, and girlfriend looking at everything and seeing nothing.

. . .

Lily swallowed as she managed to excuse herself from the crowd of people and made her way into the witch's bathroom. She checked on Eileen and, finding that her one-year-old was clean and perfect, smiled down at her. She automatically pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead, and the delicious laugh that Eileen let out was not lost on her.

"Mama all right?" Eileen asked.

Lily smiled then, feeling automatically secure as she looked down at her. "Mama all right," she assured her daughter, before raising her head again and staring off into space.

She recalled finding Al with Alice on the day that Scorpius and Eloise were married, and, once Al had woken up a week later at St. Mungo's, how he had no recollection of the day. Frightened, Lily and Alice reluctantly decided between them not to say anything, for fear that Eileen would be next on Eloise's to do list. Al had recovered quickly, thankfully, and had re-joined Slytherin House the following autumn, becoming Head Boy once more, and was finally graduating that hot June day, with a job at St. Mungo's to begin shortly.

Lily washed her hands and levitated Eileen in the air simultaneously, which was her daughter's favorite form of entertainment. Although her little girl hadn't exhibited outward signs of magic just yet, Lily was hopeful that that would change soon. Just as she dried her hands and moved to leave the room, the door swung open and Eloise stood on the threshold, just as Lily brought Eileen back into her arms.

"Well, what do we have here," Eloise said in that mocking tone of hers. "The girl who has a failure of a brother, and a bastard child of her own."

Automatically, Lily's grip tightened around Eileen as she narrowed her eyes. "You won't say such things about my family," she said levelly.

Eloise rolled her eyes. "Take a joke, Potter. It's not a big deal."

Lily scoffed. "We're not children anymore, Eloise," she replied, and moved to make a speedy exit from the room.

"Not last time I checked. You were right about something, Potter. Congratulations."

Lily rolled her eyes, still facing away from Eloise. "Please, leave me alone," she replied, and faced her once again. "I mean you no harm, so why come after me? You and I have hardly ever had a conversation, and yet you paint me as a villain who is supposedly out to ruin your life. I have never sought to deliberately do that to another person, so I cannot fathom why you would seek to do so with me."

Eloise smirked. "It seems as if we do not understand each other."

Lily shrugged. "Perhaps not. I don't wish to understand you anyway. Now, please, I'll ask you again. Leave me alone."

Eloise laughed. "I hardly think you're in a position to make demands."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

She laughed again. "Well, we're not in school anymore, so you can hardly tell me that your father can take house points from Slytherin."

An evil smile captured Lily's lips. "No, but I can certainly ask my other father to arrest you if you continue speaking in such a way," she replied without missing a beat. "And my other father taking house points is child's play. He could easily seek to poison you and make it look like an accident," she said.

Eloise looked frightened at such a declaration, but seemed to swallow her fear rather quickly as she narrowed her eyes at Lily. "I think you would stop."

Lily blinked. "And why should I? Clearly, you don't have to."

"I don't have to because I have everything and you have nothing," Eloise said simply.

Lily shook her head. "You have nothing I want."

"Not Scorpius?" Eloise asked then, and smirked as the flush came unbidden to Lily's cheeks, and nearly laughed aloud when her heartbeat increased. "Don't believe that you don't want anything of mine for a moment, Lily. I know very well what you desire."

Lily shook her head. "You know nothing about it."

"I know everything," Eloise countered, narrowing her dark eyes. "It would be better, for Salazar's sake, if you didn't attempt to screw up my life," she went on, lowering her eyes so that they rested upon Eileen. "I would hate for anything to happen to that precious little daughter of yours, Lily."

Lily narrowed her eyes then. "You will not threaten Eileen!" she said.

Eloise laughed once more. "Like I said, you are in no place to make demands of me, Lily," she told her simply, before moving past her to leave the bathroom, nearly knocking down Alice in the process, before she vanished into the crowd.

"What did she say this time?" Alice asked, looking nervously behind her for a moment before allowing the door to swing shut behind her.

"She threatened Eileen," Lily replied.

Alice shook her head. "For the love of Merlin, she needs to be stopped." She lowered her hands then so as they rested on her own swollen belly. "If I ever get wind that she hurt Eileen, or even dares to come near..."

"She won't come near your child," Lily said quickly. "Al scared her enough so she leaves you alone now, apart from the snide comment."

Alice sighed. "Let us hope to Merlin it stays that way..."

"As long as Eileen is safe from Eloise," Lily replied resolutely, pressing another kiss upon her daughter's forehead as she held her close. "That's the main thing that matters to me."


	6. You Can't Keep Me Quiet

Lily stepped into the expansive living room, holding Eileen close to her as she looked around the place. "Do you like it?" she whispered to her.

"Yeah, Mummy!" Eileen squealed, struggling to get out of Lily's arms, and hastily dashed from the room, looking for the one that would be hers.

Lily smirked and shook her head, turning around to see Rose stepping inside. "So, what do you think of it?" she asked, gesturing with her hands around the room, and Rose nodded, taking in the furnishings.

"It's great," Rose assured her. "But I wish you would've come and stayed with me once your lease was up in London. I mean, my accommodations are all paid for by the Wizarding Sports League, and I can basically live wherever I want, in any kind of house I want."

Lily smiled, stepping closer and embracing her best friend. "I know that, and I appreciate it, Rose, really," she assured her before letting go. "But it was time for me to put forth a real investment for my future. And besides, I didn't want to stay in the middle of London for the rest of my life. Time to spread my wings a bit, and have a bigger space with a proper yard in it for Eileen to play in."

"Hello, Auntie Rosie!" Eileen squealed, running into the living room and scampering with haste towards one of her godmothers.

Rose smiled indulgently at the girl and scooped her up into her arms, kissing her forehead. "And hello to you, too, my pet," she replied. "Have you been behaving for Mummy?"

Eileen rolled her beautiful silvery eyes. "Yeah," she muttered, putting her raven head down on Rose's shoulder. "Sometimes."

Lily had to laugh aloud at that. "Aren't you happy to be living in Wales, love?"

Eileen's dark brows knit together as she considered her mother's words. "House is pretty," she finally said after a moment, and Lily had to cover her mouth at the notion that Eileen resembled Severus far too much in that moment.

"And did you happen to find the gift I've left you, darling?" Rose asked, turning her full attention back onto Eileen. "I've left it on your bed."

Eileen swiveled her head back to Rose. "The pink bow?" she asked.

Rose nodded. "That's the one."

"Didn't open it yet," Eileen replied, scooting out of Rose's arms, and was levitated to the ground by Lily to ensure no injury. "Thanks, Mummy!" the little girl chanted, scurrying out of the room quickly and down the hallway to her bedroom.

"Her hair was very like yours was when we were little," Rose said quietly.

Lily turned and stared at Rose with a smile on her face. "Really? You remember my hair before it was red?" she asked, and pulling a bit at the end of her long ponytail.

"Course I do," Rose said, crossing her arms with a grin, and looking terribly like her father and the rest of the Weasley clan in that moment. "We witches and wizards have much stronger memories than Muggles. You know that, Lily."

Lily pursed her lips. "I've been a redhead since I was two," she said quietly. "To tell you the truth, I don't remember much before that."

"Must've been boring," Rose joked. "But you must remember your fathers getting married, don't you? It was a lovely day. We sat in the front row and everything..."

Lily nodded. "That I do remember," she clarified.

"Eileen's eyes, however," Rose put in, and Lily found herself growing cold. "They're not yours, Lily, they're not. I mean, your eyes never changed color. They've always been green like Uncle Harry's, and his mother before him..."

"Must've been that wizard in Norway when I was working on Selma," Lily said quickly, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"Ever get his name?"

"Anders Royse," Lily said, coming up with the name on the spot. "He attended Durmstrang Institute from 2006 onward, so he was a couple years older than the two of us."

"Uh-huh," Rose nodded, thinking this was all too good to be true. "So, you met him when you were working with Selma?"

"Yes. Yeah," Lily replied.

Rose absorbed the information, thinking it over. "Was he one of the wizards you taught to speak Parseltongue to?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Nobody knows that you know that yet, Rose."

"I haven't said anything, Lily," Rose said quickly. "Now, was he?"

Lily shook her head. "No. Just someone writing a book on Selma. Wanted to get some sketches of her. She was actually one of the few humans that she trusted."

"Will we ever see the book in print?"

"I don't know," Lily replied with a shrug, hating this line of questioning. "Anders said he wrote under a pseudonym. I don't even know if he was publishing it all, or if he just wanted a book for his own reference purposes."

"Did he know Viktor Krum?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do that Krum went to Durmstrang at the same time our parents were at Hogwarts."

"Well, did he?"

"I don't know, Rose. Krum was from Bulgaria, but Anders was Norwegian. I'm sure he's heard of Krum, but he's not too fond of Quidditch, if I remember correctly."

"Neither are you," Rose said quietly.

"I enjoy the game, for your sake," Lily said, flushing in slight annoyance. "I even attended the World Cup with Dad, Papa, and Al..."

"Only to sneak away and get inked! It's a Muggle thing, Lily, I don't care if they have witch and wizard tattoo artists."

"_You_ got one, too!" Lily shot back.

Rose's eyes turned black then, and she took off her outer jacket, her sleeveless undershirt revealing a burn mark on her right arm, the shape of her Moontrimmer broom, the first broom she'd ever gotten that was her own from Ron and Hermione, permanently etched like suspended blood just beneath her skin. "Had it removed."

Lily's face covered her mouth in shock, and managed to cast a wandless Silencing Charm and a ward around them, preventing Eileen from coming back in. "They said that the ink wouldn't come out," she said softly, taking her hands from her lips.

"I know," Rose replied, swallowing in an effort to keep from crying.

"What did you...?"

"It wasn't me," she replied. "It was Hugo."

Lily blinked, recalling Rose's younger brother who had been three years behind them at Hogwarts, and in the same house. Come to think of it, Rose seemed to deliberately avoid family events that just featured the four of them, including her parents, ever since she had joined the Holyhead Harpies during hers and Lily's seventh-year. "Why would Hugo do something like that?" she whispered.

"Tergeo," Rose said quietly, answering the other half of the explanation, that Lily had neglected to ask for. "Casted it on me when he found out I was joining the Harpies."

Lily stared at Rose, horrified. "He didn't!"

Rose nodded. "He did."

"Did you...?"

"Tell anyone? Of course not!" Rose cried out. "If something like this got out, that Hugo did something like this to me when he was fourteen, and a Gryffindor to boot, with such a close connection to your father..." She shook her head. "They'd drag him off to Azkaban, Lily, or do something to him, like break his wand..."

Lily swallowed, taking note of the tears suspended on Rose's lashes. "But... Rose, you can't allow him to get away with this. It's hardly a minor infraction," she replied.

Rose sighed. "I realize that, but this is my brother."

"It doesn't matter who did it, Rose. The point is that it happened."

"It doesn't matter to me."

"Why did he do it?" Lily asked, her voice soft. "Why did he supposedly justify this cruel act he did towards you?"

"He opened my acceptance letter from the Harpies," Rose replied, slowly putting her jacket back on and zipping it up. "Accused me of abandoning the family and never coming home again, due to the rigorous tour schedule. I even tried to explain to him that, while I would be on the road and in the air a lot, I would always be thinking of him, and that I would come and see him all the time, but, apparently, it wasn't enough..."

"It should have been," Lily replied, and Rose dragged her gaze upwards. "It should've been enough for him. For him to justify marking you like that, and then for you to just stand aside, potentially allowing for him to do it again—"

"He is still my brother!" Rose shot back, her voice trembling as the tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. "I would forgive him a thousand times over, if he ever bothered to apologize for what he did to me. He hasn't though, and I do not believe he ever will do such a thing. And the reasoning behind that is he believes he was justified in doing so, and men frequently believe their right, especially wizarding men who believe themselves so high and mighty, fancying themselves as Purebloods, when in fact they're nothing on the inside, if they can so callously bring themselves do such a thing to their own once-beloved sister. Can you tell me, right here and now, that you wouldn't do the same for Al? If the roles were reversed, wouldn't you shield him from potential repercussions that could come his way?"

Lily swallowed. "Al would never do such a thing to me."

Rose stared at Lily then, shaking her head, as she made for the hearth then, making a grab for a handful of Floo Powder, and intoning some unknown address into it, before she tossed in the powder and stepped inside, the flames engulfing her a moment later.

. . .

Lily made sure that Eileen was perfect in her new dress for the celebrations that afternoon at Potter Park. It was a special day, as her father was turning forty, and some people from _The Profit_ and _The Quibbler_ would be stopping by to take photos of the event. Everyone had been clamoring for an invite to the festivities, but Harry and Severus had reached a compromise that only family and very close friends would be in attendance that day.

Lily surveyed herself briefly in the mirror; she was wearing an almost near copy of the dress that Eileen wore, of course it was cut a little differently, and there was a rather plunging neckline, whereas Eileen's was much more reserved. Lily painstakingly cast the spell on her daughter to conceal her looks; Eileen was used to it now, growing an understanding of who Harry was, as her grandfather, and her need to be protected. Lily pressed a kiss to her daughter's head and held her close, knowing full well the rampage that would affect England if anything happened to her only child.

"Mummy, won't we be late?"

Lily chuckled, pleased that Eileen also knew how to keep a schedule. "Don't worry, darling. We are traveling by Floo today, so it's not like we won't be there in a flash."

"Who's coming?"

"I suspect a great many people, my love," Lily went on, leaving Eileen's bedroom and walking down the corridor and towards the living room. "You know very well that Granddad is quite a famous wizard."

"Won't Pop object?" Eileen asked, referring to Severus.

A smile played at Lily's lips as they approached the hearth. "I suspect that there was a compromise in between the two of them," she said, grabbing a handful of powder and preparing to step into the grate.

"What does... Com-pro-mise mean?" Eileen wanted to know.

Lily grinned, pleased that her daughter attempted to speak the difficult word. "Well, darling, it means that Granddad gets some of what he wants, and Pop gets some of what he wants at the same time."

Eileen laughed aloud as Lily dropped the powder. "Potter Park!" she shouted, and they were swallowed up by the flames.

"Very good, my love," Lily said, as the pair of them were bathed in green light, before the living room of her childhood home appeared before them, and she stepped them through. "Hello, everyone, we're here," she said.

"Lily!" Harry shouted, bounding closer to his daughter and grandchild and embraced the pair of them with a quick kiss on each of their foreheads. "Thank goodness you've arrived," he went on, gathering a giggling Eileen into his arms. "Rose has just walked in with Lysander on her arm, and we none of us even knew!"

Lily sighed; she and Rose hadn't spoken much since the first of the month, since she and Eileen had moved into the house in Wales. "It's all been very hush-hush," she admitted, and Harry nodded, taking in the changed demeanor of his daughter at the mention of her best friend. "I knew about it, of course, but given the nearly two-year age gap, they thought it best to not bring it up in public."

"Bloody well difficult not to," Severus said, stepping into the fray and putting an arm around his daughter's waist, kissing her temple. "How are you, love?"

"Fine," Lily replied, nodding. "Darling," she said, nodding to Eileen, "tell Granddad and Pop what you told Mummy this morning."

"I'm a Gryffindor!" Eileen said, clapping her hands, to which Harry and Lily promptly laughed aloud.

Severus gazed down at his daughter with a sneer. "You're already indoctrinating your daughter to think negatively against Slytherin?"

"Come now, Severus," Hermione said, stepping forward as she clicked her tongue, gently pulling Lily from her father's grip and kissing her on the cheek. "Eileen is just excited is all."

"Auntie Hermione knows," Eileen said with a rich giggle, before holding out her arms to her, and Hermione quickly took Eileen into them.

Lily looked up then as a pair of people entered the room, and felt herself smiling at the sight of Al, arm-in-arm with Alice, who was, by this time, quite massive, due to the direct fact that she was due to give birth in less than a month. "Hey!" she cried out then, darting forward and practically throwing her arms around Alice. "Look at you!"

"Lily, I love you, but if you would kindly refrain from breaking my fiancée, it would be much appreciated," said Al from Lily's shoulder.

Lily darted backward then, and somehow managed to keep Alice standing straight as she whipped around to face her brother. "Your _what_?!" she cried out, covering her face with her hands to block her gasp of happiness.

Alice flushed then, a smile radiating throughout the room as Harry, still holding Eileen, stepped forward, with Severus and Hermione just behind them. Alice held her hand aloft then, showing off the beautiful diamond ring surrounded by both emeralds and rubies, so as to incorporate both of their respective Hogwarts Houses. "Al wasn't supposed to say anything for another couple of days," she said in a rush, amid the gasps of other family members. "Only my parents know at this point, since Al asked their permission. But we wanted to wait," she went on, elbowing Al in the ribs in frustration, and Hermione smirked at Ron, as he stepped into the room behind both Al and Alice. "Considering that it's your fortieth birthday, Uncle Harry, we didn't want to steal your thunder..."

"Believe me, I deserve it," Harry replied with a chuckle.

"How do you figure, Dad?" Al asked, rubbing his sore ribs.

"I may have informed your parents about my figuring out that Lily was a girl, on the day that your brother was born," Harry said as he continued to laugh, and Alice threw back her head, amid the moments of her cradling her swollen belly.

"Know what this one is, then?" Ron asked, coming into the crowd at last and putting an arm around Hermione's waist.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione replied, glaring mockingly at her husband. "It's not just something you can readily ask. You wait."

Al turned and looked over at Alice, and raised his eyebrows for a moment. "We do know what it is, love," he put in.

Alice sighed, reaching upwards then and cupping Al's cheek before turning to look at the rest of the family. "We've found out about three and a half months ago that we're going to have a daughter at the end of next month," she replied.

"A girl!" Lily shouted then, throwing her arms around Alice again, to which both of them let out a laugh. "Eileen's going to have a friend!" Lily's voice lowered significantly then, and her throat went dry as she saw Scorpius and Eloise, his wife, walk into the room together. She tried to play it cool, but the notion that Eloise could suddenly lose control and hurt Eileen frightened her to no end. She swallowed then, feeling relieved when Rose and Lysander entered the room, and Rose almost immediately came towards her.

"Look, I didn't mean..." She began.

"Forget it. We were both in the wrong," Lily replied, squeezing Rose's hand, and Rose quickly smiled at her. "I didn't know Scorpius and Eloise would be here..."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Can't matter, can it?"

At once, Lily shook her head. "Of course not," she said, waving over to Lysander, who excused himself from congratulating Al and Alice, and came towards them. "Hey, Lily," he said, kissing her on the cheek before moving back beside Rose. "How are things in the new house?"

"They're wonderful," Lily replied, pleased to talk about something neutral. "Eileen's walking and talking up a storm. It's hard to keep up with her, but I like a challenge."

Lily managed to excuse herself shortly thereafter, after making sure that Eileen was safe with her parents, and walked upstairs towards her old bathroom. She opened the door to her childhood bedroom and stood upon the threshold, biting her lower lip at the notion of the life she had had as a young girl, and how many mistakes she'd made, and wondered when, or if, she would ever be able to rectify them. Shaking her head, she stepped inside her room and into her bathroom, washing her face quickly and casting a drying spell, and opened the door to head back out. She let out a gasp then, nearly tripping on her own feet as Scorpius stood across from her, and she felt her heart threatening to enter her throat.

"Lily."

"Scorpius," she replied, trying to force her voice into a semblance or normalcy. "The loo's free if you want it."

Scorpius shook his head. "Don't need it."

"Right," Lily replied, and made an effort to move past him.

"Lily, wait," Scorpius said then, reaching out and catching hold of her wrist, and Lily's breath caught in her throat then, and her cheeks flushed at the feeling of his hand on her skin. "I came up because I wanted to talk to you."

Lily swallowed then, managing to get ahold of herself as she yanked her arm away from his, before turning around to face him. "What's to talk about? There's literally nothing to be said between the two of us, Scorpius."

Scorpius set his mouth then, obviously trying to keep his temper. "Look, Lily, I know things haven't exactly been normal between the two of us..."

"Things haven't been normal since you decided to throw around a little word called 'love'," she very nearly snapped back at him. "Had you kept your mouth shut and your feelings in check, Scorpius, maybe, just maybe, shit could still be normal."

"Don't pin this on me, Lily," Scorpius hissed through his teeth at her. "You're the one who pulled that little stunt at the lodge on the last day of sixth-year."

"You've always been stronger than I am, Scorpius, and you know it," she whispered then. "You could've stopped it at any time. You didn't, because you knew I was vulnerable and hurting, and you thought it was a divine opportunity to get into my pants."

Quickly losing his temper, Scorpius reached out then and grabbed ahold of Lily's shoulders, and slammed her up against the wall behind her. "Don't act so innocent, Lily," he said, his tone of voice thick. "You'd been with Teddy for two and a half years by that point. You hardly expect me to believe that the two of you hadn't—"

"Well, we hadn't," Lily shot back, and Scorpius stared down at her, his silver eyes wide with shock as they met her green ones.

"What... What do you mean you and Teddy...?"

"We didn't shag, all right?!" she hissed under her breath, her face flushed with embarrassment at discussing her first relationship. "I wasn't ready to do it, and I harbored suspicions against him since fifth-year about him and Victoire. And then when I found out he'd been lying to me the entire time, something snapped inside me, and I needed to retaliate. I'm so sorry that you were a casualty in my pursuit of vengeance, Scorpius, I really am, but I honestly didn't know you felt anything for me at all. I thought it was always Rose."

Scorpius shook his head then, never taking his eyes from Lily's, although one of his arms, which still occupied themselves upon her shoulders, raised itself upwards. He took his thumb then and dragged it slowly along Lily's lower lip, and Lily swallowed, shuddering beneath his touch, and knew that, had she permitted herself to, she could come undone and very quickly. "It wasn't Rose, Lily. It was you," he declared, his voice soft.

Lily gasped aloud then at the declaration, and opened her mouth to reply. "Scorp, I have to tell you something," she whispered.

Scorpius nodded. "Tell me what?"

"Scorpius!" called a voice from outside then, and Eloise opened the door, giving Scorpius and Lily just enough time to break apart. "Ah, there you are. Lily, that angelic daughter of yours seems to be missing you," Eloise said, her expression barely an inch or two off from outright glaring at her.

"Right," Lily replied, nodding, doing her best to evade Eloise as much as possible as she walked out of the room. The last thing she needed was to be cursed, or tripped down the stairs. She made her way back into the living room, and took Eileen into her arms, managing to stumble backwards and into the Floo before anyone noticed her, and disappeared into the hearth as Eloise led Scorpius back into the living room.

. . .

"How are things going with Lysander?" Lily asks, sitting across from Rose on upon the living room of the new house in Wales. "Does he bore you with Magizoology?"

Rose giggled. "It's not boring," she assured Lily. "It's...it's different, with him. He is sweet and kind and considerate. He always comes to games, and he even manages to make a few practices out of the bunch."

"I'll take Eileen, as soon as she's a bit older, if that's all right."

"Of course it's all right," Rose said, smiling at Lily as she sipped her cup of tea. "We'll want Eileen to at least have an understanding of the game."

Lily nodded. "Agreed... How did you and Lysander...?"

Rose flushed beautifully at the memory. "He wanted to get out of the office for a while, and came to one of our games. We were playing the Bellycastle Bats in Belfast and he just came upon the game by accident. He recognized my name in the program and requested to talk to me afterwards, and I let him. He complimented my playing, and asked me questions about the game, but intelligent ones, mind you. We went to a pub afterwards and stayed up half the night talking, and I had to get back to my hotel, and he had to get back to London to work. But... Well, he asked for my Floo Network coordinates and I was coming back the next week, so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep in touch."

"When was this?"

"Just before I came home for Aiden and Mara's wedding," Rose replied, a happy, faraway look in her brown eyes. "We made it official on Halloween. The Harpies won against the Falmouth Falcons, and we had a victory Halloween party to celebrate. Lysander and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that our feelings were real, and so we've now been a couple for nearly ten months now."

"And you're happy?"

"I am."

"And he makes you happy?"

Rose smiled. "He does."

"Think you'll settle down with him?"

Rose laughed. "You mean, marriage and kids and stuff?"

Lily nodded. "Exactly."

Rose sighed, mulling it over for a moment as she finished her cup of tea. "Perhaps, one day. We have discussed it, Lysander and I, but we're in agreement that I'll retire first, and then we can start thinking about all that. Plus we've got time, the pair of us. I'm not even twenty-three yet, you know."

Lily smiled at her. "I know."

"You certainly started early—with the kids thing, I mean," Rose replied, and Lily shrugged with a slight smile. "Not that it's a bad thing. You're a great mum to Eileen."

"Thank you. I certainly try to be. What with my commitment to your mum's organization and the research post, plus getting Eileen geared up to begin nursery school in the next few weeks. Well, suffice it to say, I've got a full plate."

"Any romance to speak of recently, Lily?"

Lily swallowed, flushing as she lowered her eyes, recalling Scorpius's hands on her the night of her father's birthday party, his hot breath on her skin, and the sensual thing he did, dragging the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip... "No, nothing," she said, setting her own finished teacup upon the coffee table, and forcing a smile to her lips.

Rose clicked her tongue, resembling her mother to a T. "Witches and wizards don't appreciate being lied to, Lily."

Lily shook her head. "I'm not lying to you, Rose. I can assure you that there are no romantic inclinations going on in my life."

Rose sighed. "Very well then. And Anders? Do you see him more and more in Eileen as the days and weeks carry on?"

"Who?"

"Anders Royse, Eileen's father," Rose said, deliberately slowing her voice down. "The wizard you met in Norway during your report on Selma."

Lily shrugged. "I've...not spoken to him in..."

"Did Anders have such sharp, silvery eyes?" Rose wanted to know, and Lily felt her lower lip trembling then. "I just can't imagine them on anyone, save for one wizard in particular. Copies of such things, and exact ones at that, are especially hard to find..."

Lily lowered her eyes. "I... I suppose Anders had them, yes..."

"Lily. I'm your best friend," Rose said gently, and Lily finally permitted herself to raise her eyes upwards once more. "I know you better than I know most people. Do you honestly expect me to believe that Eileen is Anders Royse's daughter?"

Lily's forehead puckered in confusion. "What?"

"Anders Royse is indeed a Norwegian wizard, Lily, but he is close to ninety-years-old, and has been married to his wife, Dagbjørg, for close to seventy years?"

Lily swallowed. "It must've been a different..."

"I checked. Anders is the only Norwegian wizard, and the only wizard with that name," Rose said gently, and Lily sighed aloud. "Now, is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Rose... If this gets out, there will be consequences," Lily whispered, trembling.

"What are you afraid of?" Rose whispered. When Lily refused to speak, Rose promptly grabbed ahold of her hand, staring, unblinking, into her eyes as she turned her wrist. "I, Rose Granger-Weasley, solemnly promise, on pain of death, never to reveal my knowledge of the biological father of one Eileen Potter, until my own death."

"Rose!" shouted Lily then, as the beam of light came around both their hands, binding them together flawlessly. "What are you doing—?!"

"And, despite my dear friend Lily Potter's fears, I swear to protect both her and Eileen Potter, for as long as my life permits me, from any harm that comes their way." She finished speaking then, and the light quickly burned into their skin, leaving visible marks as Lily quickly yanked her hand back and away from Rose's.

"Are you insane?!" she screamed, tracing the intersecting lines with her fingers. "You've just made an Unbreakable Vow!"

Rose sighed, conjuring more tea into her cup, and remained calm. "I'm fully aware of my previous actions, Lily."

Lily swallowed then, looking around. "I swear to you..."

"You don't need to do so, Lily, nor do you have to ask me to swear back, for I've already done so," Rose replied plainly. "Now, we may speak freely. I know the abundance of wards you have surrounding this place, Lily, and the person you fear obviously doesn't have access to be here, for you wouldn't willingly allow them on your property, or near Eileen."

Lily shook her head. "But Rose..."

"I already know," Rose said softly, and Lily bit her lower lip, her eyes filling with tears. "Were you afraid of my reaction?"

Lily sighed. "No. No, of course I wasn't. It wasn't even you to begin with."

Rose nodded, sipping her tea. "Who knows?"

"Besides you? Me, of course. Plus Alice figured it out from the moment she first met Eileen, and I couldn't bring myself to lie to her."

"So, that's it, then? Eileen is Scorpius's daughter?"

Lily's eyes locked with Rose's. "Yes. She's his daughter."

. . .

The sound of something shattering sent Lily bolting up from the floral-patterned couch in the living room of Al and Alice's luxury flat in Mayfair, where she had been spending the afternoon during her day off, and Eileen's first day in nursery school. "Alice!" Lily screamed then as she dashed into the kitchen, seeing Alice in a pool of her own blood.

"I... I must've landed wrong," Alice said quietly. "I spilled the tea, and I slipped, and now... No, no, no," she moaned, putting her head into her hands.

"No tears, Alice," Lily ordered gently, spelling the mess away and levitating Alice out of the kitchen and down the hall and into the master suite. She propped her up in the bed and pulled back the various comforters upon it, and summoned a Wiggenweld Potion from inside Al's personal potion cabinet. "Drink this," she ordered, and made sure that the way was cleared for Alice to give birth, and took her hand. "Shall I call for someone?"

"Al is working today, I don't think I should bother him," Alice said, the sweat covering her forehead completely, and Lily conjured a wet towel from nothing, and set it upon her forehead to cool her down. "I..."

"What? Who should I summon, Alice? It's all right."

"Perhaps if Madam Pomfrey could be persuaded to come and oversee..."

"No harm in asking," Lily replied, squeezing Alice's hand and darting towards the hearth in the master suite, and tossed some powder. "Private office of Madam Pomfrey, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she intoned into the green flames which suddenly sparked.

"Why, Lily! Is that you?" the mediwitch called through.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, it's me," Lily replied. "I'm in Mayfair at the home of my brother, Al, and his fiancée, Alice Longbottom-Malfoy."

"Is everything all right, my dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, only to be greeted with a sudden scream of pain from Alice in the background. "Oh, I see. I take it that Adalheidis is going to be delivered of her child today?"

"Yes, it seems so," Lily confirmed, feeling bad that she couldn't be closer to her future sister-in-law. "Listen, I know it's short notice, but Alice has requested that you oversee her birth, if that's agreeable to you."

"Yes, of course," Madam Pomfrey replied. "Shall I inform your father? It is, after all, his second grandchild..."

"He may come through as well," Alice whispered from her bed.

"Alice has confirmed that she is all right with him knowing, and would like him to come through, if he is there."

"I believe he was to be in the potion's lab this morning. I shall send my Patronus through to him and I'm sure he will come at the run," she replied.

Lily heard her cast the spell and deliver the message, whereupon she summoned her magical medical kit and stepped through the flames, keeping them open on the off-chance that Severus would want to use them. Lily stood by, moving back towards Alice's side when she reached for her hand, and squeezed it. "You are going to deliver a Potter today, Alice," Lily said softly to her, brushing back the brown hair that stuck to her head. "She's going to be a beautiful girl, just as pretty as Eileen, but in a different way. Pray that she doesn't have Al's nose, as he inherited it from Papa, and I can't imagine how it would look on a girl..."

"For your information, I inherited this from my mother, your Grandmother Prince," Severus said in a mock-scathing tone as he stepped through the flames a moment later, and joined Alice on her other side. "I should think any child of Alice's would be lucky to have such a nose bestowed upon her."

"It is a Slytherin nose," Alice managed to gasp out. "Any child of mine is a Gryffindor. I know we were taught tolerance by my fathers growing up, and I am all right with that. But I can feel it in my bones that Lilac is a Gryffindor."

"Lilac," Lily whispered, smiling down at Alice. "That's beautiful."

"Lilac Alessandra Potter," Alice whispered, and Severus smiled at the name. "Alessandra means 'defender of mankind'. Although I do not believe we will see another war in our lifetime, or in future ones, I do want Lilac protected."

"I sent my Patronus off to the ministry and St. Mungo's, so hopefully everyone will know what they're supposed to know quickly," Severus put in.

"Thank you, Papa," Alice said, and Severus kissed her hand.

"Think nothing of it, my daughter," he replied.

"Lily, I'm not hurting you, am I? Your hand," Alice whispered, and looked at it, seeing the marks, and Lily quickly moved it, although Severus noticed, but said nothing.

"It's nothing," Lily said quickly. "You focus on you, sister," she said, and pressed a kiss to Alice's temple, and she relaxed, as Madam Pomfrey directed her further.

Lily was relieved when Al showed up, and left Alice's side to take a breather in the living room downstairs. She conjured herself a glass of water and sipped it slowly, staring out at Muggle London, wondering how much the Muggles truly knew about the Wizarding World, and thought that that would be a good topic for her next phase of research on behalf of Hermione. At the sound of the steps behind her, Lily turned around then, and spotted Severus standing there with a smile on his face.

"Lilac is here," he announced.

Lily breathed an audible sound of relief. "How does she look?"

"Alice's nose," Severus joked, and Lily laughed. "Her hair as well, and mouth. Her skin is mine and Al's, however, and I believe they will have our eyes as well. And, you'll be happy to know," he carried on, walking towards his daughter, "that Lilac has our hands."

Automatically, Lily stretched out her hands to peer at them, imagining them on her infant niece, but she was suddenly jostled as Severus took ahold of her right hand in a yanking motion and inspected it. "Immobulus!" she shouted quickly then, preventing her fallen glass from smashing onto the ground. "Wingardium Leviosa," she went on, and moved it onto the kitchen island just behind her.

"This is the mark of an Unbreakable Vow," Severus said softly.

Lily managed to get enough leverage to yank her arm back. "It's nothing..."

Severus promptly rolled up the sleeve of his black robes and showed off his own right hand, which was complete with the same pattern of lines, although much more faded. "I myself made one twenty-five years ago," he said quietly, and Lily sighed. "It was to protect Draco Malfoy, for he was the original one chosen to murder Albus Dumbledore."

Lily swallowed then. "He was?"

Severus nodded. "It's not a vow to be taken lightly, Lily."

She sighed. "I know that. I didn't make it. I was in shock."

Severus's brows came together then. "Who made it?"

"Rose," Lily whispered. "Look, I really don't want to talk about this right now..."

"Well, we're going to talk about it," Severus said, blocking her path from going towards the hearth as he stared at his daughter. "What is happening with you lately, Lily? Ever since you got back from Norway, you've been particularly standoffish. Your father and I are concerned. We want to help you, but you keep us at a distance."

"Papa, I'm to be twenty-three in less than two months. I have my own job, my own money, I live on my own, and I'm a mum now. I have my own life..."

"Exactly, you have your own life, which comes responsibilities," Severus said, blocking Lily's second attempt to leave the Mayfair penthouse. "Tell me what's going on."

Lily shook her head. "I can't."

"Are you in danger?"

Lily's eyes snapped to Severus's. "I very well could be if we continue this line of conversation, so please, drop it."

"Lily, I only want to..."

"Hey!" Al said, dashing into the room with a bright smile on his face. "Draco, Neville, Scorpius, and Eloise have all arrived!"

Lily nodded. "Wonderful."

Al stepped forward then and took his sister's hands. "Alice and I talked it over, Lily, and we would be proud if you would stand as one of Lilac's godmothers."

Lily's jaw dropped then, but she nodded. "Of course, Al. I'd be honored."

"Come on, then!" Al said, and pulled his sister into the master suite, where a flushed Alice sat, propped up with those pillows, holding a small pink bundle with a dusting of brown hair on its perfectly-shaped head.

"This is not over," Severus whispered to his daughter.

"It never will be, will it?" Lily asked him then, equally soft, as she felt the dark eyes of Eloise Longbottom-Malfoy boring into her suspiciously from the other side of the bed.


	7. Won't Tremble When You Try It

"Mummy, why do I have to wear a new dress?" Eileen asked, trying her very best to stay polite as Lily tied the silky bow around her middle.

"Because, darling, today is very important. Now, hold still," Lily ordered, her tone gentle as she cast the Concealment Charm over her daughter's face, turning her striking silver eyes to the same shade of green she had. She summoned Eileen's hairbrush with Accio next and gently pulled the thing through her long raven locks.

"Why is it important?" Eileen pressed, bringing her now green eyes upwards to meet her mother's in the mirror opposite her.

"Because, darling, we're getting a new Minister of Magic," Lily explained.

"A new one?"

"Aunt Hermione," Lily continued, setting the brush down and summoning the little jacket that would match Eileen's new dress perfectly, which she put around her shoulders. "There, now. I think you look lovely, my darling."

Eileen's brow puckered then, considering. "Why do you change my eyes?"

Lily blinked. "What?" she asked.

"My eyes," Eileen said, looking back up at her mother again. "You change them whenever we're going to leave the house, or if we're around other people..."

Lily swallowed then; like her, Eileen had a very good grasp of the English language, all before the age of two, and the notion that she was very intelligent to boot was not lost on her. "Well, sweetheart, people with our surname..." She hesitated. "It's for your own protection. I promise that I'll explain when you're older, darling, but right now, I need you to trust that Mummy knows what's best for you. All right?"

Eileen sighed, still not fully satisfied, but forced herself to nod. "All right, Mummy. I'll trust you," she said at last.

"Thank you, darling," Lily said, pressing her forehead against her daughter's, knowing full well that things would go more smoothly if trust was given.

Gathering up Eileen into her arms, she casted a quick Warming Charm on the two of them; the venue of their intended destination had not yet been made public, as it was an important event that not everyone had been invited to. The last thing Lily wanted was to be plastered on the front page of _The Daily Profit_ by Rita Skeeter, and branded a bad mother to the entire Wizarding World for not ensuring that her own daughter was warm enough. Shaking her head, Lily made sure to keep a good grip on Eileen as they Apparated to the spot outside the phone booth and slipped inside, making their way downwards as soon as the proper Muggle currency was deposited in the slot. When they got to the fireplace, they were promptly swallowed up by the green sparks, and arrived in the main thoroughfare of the Ministry of Magic where, through the crowds, she caught a glimpse of Harry and Severus standing with Al and Alice, the latter of whom was holding tiny Lilac in her arms.

"Sorry, sorry," Lily said quickly, making her way towards them, and accepting forehead kisses from Harry and Severus, and a quick hug from Al, who promptly took Eileen from her, and she stretched her arms, turning to Alice. "How is my goddaughter and niece?" she asked, stepping closer to the pair of them.

Alice gleamed underneath the praise and gently handed Lilac over to Lily, and Lily carefully took the small bundle in her arms, who squalled slightly at the transfer, but settled down immediately after Lily pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Five days have passed since she was born, and I hardly remember a time before she wasn't here," Alice said dreamily, watching Lily interacting with her daughter.

Severus chuckled darkly. "You will," he assured Alice, ignoring the glare that both Harry and Lily shot at him. "Pretty soon you'll be counting down the days until Lilac goes off to school to be sorted. Slytherin, if I may say so."

Lily glared at him. "You may not," she told him.

"Exactly," Alice said quickly. "Lilac is a Gryffindor through and through," she went on, her tone turning into an indulgent one as her eyes lowered back onto her daughter. "Of course, Al and I would be happy with any house, but something tells me our girl is a lion."

"How do you feel about this, then, Al?" Severus wanted to know, turning to his son, who was becoming quite distracted by Eileen, who was whispering secrets in his ear. "Don't you think your daughter will be in Slytherin?"

"Course not, Papa," Al said, giving a brief look towards Severus before smiling lovingly at his fiancée. "Alice is always right, especially when it comes to the children."

"Children?" Harry demanded then, quickly calming himself down when he saw Lilac fuss in Lily's arms, causing Alice to step forward, but Lily shushed and calmed her quickly, causing Alice to look on with relief. "You're planning on further children?"

"Well, of course we are, Harry," Alice said, letting out a small giggle as Al put his free arm around her waist. "I couldn't imagine going through childhood without my brother. I hope for at least one more child, a boy, so that Lilac can go through that, too."

"Somehow I think having an older brother is different than having a younger brother," Lily put in with a wry smile.

Alice turned to look at Lily. "How do you mean?"

"In that situation, protection is expected, and not necessarily resented, due to an older brother's experiences out there in the world, ones he would likely have before his younger sister," Lily explained patiently. "Whereas if it's a younger brother, they will frequently be described as a nuisance for automatically assuming that they know best in any given situation, given that the sister is older."

Al was about to cut in, to give his two Sickles on the matter, when Harry checked the time and said they would have to get going. Presumably, Harry was made aware of the correct location, given the ceremony and how high up he was in the ministry. Carefully, Lily handed Lilac back to Alice, and took Eileen back from Al as the septet meandered in a generally good clump, with Harry leading the way, Severus just behind him. They ventured towards the elevators around the fountain and official ministry statue, where Harry pressed the correct buttons before sliding his hand into Severus's, with Al and Lily rolling their eyes at one another at the intimate gesture, and Alice taking care to smack them both into respect as they walked into the elevator once it had arrived.

"And where exactly is this being held, Mr. Potter?" Severus asked his husband, and Harry smirked beneath his gaze, keying in the correct sequence of numbers as Al pulled the elevator door shut behind them.

"I should think you would be used to me surprising you by now, Professor Snape," Harry said softly, a faint flush blooming on the potion master's cheeks at his words.

"Try not to be too terribly cheeky, or I'll have to find a desk to bend you over to punish you properly," Severus said, deathly soft, to Harry.

"So glad that Lilac's memories won't form yet," Al said, putting a protective arm around Alice's waist as she giggled at the exchange.

"Going to take house points away from me, are we?" Harry wanted to know.

"Eileen is at the point where she under stands you," Lily put in softly. "Please attempt to keep it in your trousers until you get back to Potter Park later."

"Mummy, what's a punishment?" Eileen asked, managing to pronounce the word, and Lily wanted to spell a binding curse upon her fathers' mouths.

"I very well may take points if we don't get there quickly enough," Severus said quietly, his granddaughter's question quickly forgotten as the elevator rumbled to a brief stop before yanking them backwards, and then finally pulled to a complete stop, the door opening automatically for them all.

"We're here," Harry said, looping his hand into Severus's and pulling him out, towards some impressive and highly-polished cherry double doors, complete with golden handles. "Good morning," he said, nodding to the guards positioned on either side, who made quick work of opening the doors for Harry and Severus to step through, followed by Lily carrying Eileen, and lastly Al, his arm still around Alice's waist, who held carefully onto Lilac.

"Auror Potter! Professor Snape!" screamed the photographers in the dark blue colored with white accents antechamber they'd all stepped into, the magical camera flashbulbs flashing immediately in their faces. "Are you happy about the election and how it turned out?"

"Senior Researcher Potter! Big smile for us, please!" the next photographer begged her, and Lily had to do her best not to cast a wandless spell at them. "Miss Eileen! Wave to us, will you, please, precious?" chorused yet another group of camera operators as they all walked by.

"Master Potter, Auror Longbottom-Malfoy, is this the official debut of Miss Lilac?" came another vocal photographer, stepping as close as permitted to the couple behind Lily, as the flashbulbs radiated throughout the room, and bounced off the crystal chandelier upon the twenty-foot-high ceilings.

Harry and Severus waited for each member of their family to smile once at their respective photographers, before they motioned for them to follow them into the next room. Lily, relieved, stepped forward quickly with Eileen, and heard Al and Alice stepping behind her. They were permitted in the next room, which was the grandest of all meeting rooms the Ministry of Magic had to offer, and were quickly shown to the Potter box in the back, just above the main pulpit, on the center of the stage. The Longbottom-Malfoy box—slightly bigger due to the fact that it housed two wizarding families—was just next door to the Potter box; the box was currently filled by Neville and Draco in the front, and Scorpius and Eloise in the back. Other boxes in the area were the Bones, the Abbotts, the Crouches, the Fawley's, the Greengrass's, the Macmillan's, the Ollivander's, the Shacklebolt's, the Slughorn's, the Thomas's, and, lastly, the Weasleys. The last of which was positioned on the other side of the Potter box, with Ron in the front row beside Hugo, and Rose in the back with Lysander.

The Potter box, as the family grew in various times, now sported five seats, and would be remodeled to house two more seats when the time came for Eileen and Lilac to sit on their own, but until such a time, Lily and Alice would take charge of them. Eileen was very excited at all the pomp and excitement around her, and Lily was permitted to set her down so that she could walk towards the other end of the Potter box to get a better look at the stage. From the corner of Lily's eye, she watched Eloise keeping track of Eileen's every move, and felt a lump lodging in her throat at the sight of the dark eyes watching her daughter, and quickly managed to summon Eileen back with a hasty Accio, which made Eileen laugh delightedly, and Scorpius turned to look at her for a moment, taking in Lily holding her daughter, until Eloise took him by the hand and distracted him.

Lily casted a Tempus charm when she had a mind to, and saw that the minutes were counting down quickly to noon, when she knew the announcement would be made. Staring ahead and putting her wand away, she saw Severus speaking to Draco, and Harry speaking to Ron, and wondered when the lull in the room would settle itself. Finally, noon had approached, and the clock tower outside chimed the time, and there was a sudden hush in the room as the sound of the chimes finally died down. There was a curtain stationed at the back of the stage, and when it rose, the entire stage darkened, and a puff of red smoke came forth. Stepping out of the smoke as a light beamed onto her excited face, Hermione Granger-Weasley stepped forward and came towards the pulpit, casting a wandless Sonorus Charm as she beamed at the various people connected to the Ministry of Magic around her.

"Good afternoon to the Ministry of Magic and its direct and possibly indirect associates," she said to everyone, making sure to keep her cool, given that representatives from _The Profit_,_ The Quibbler_,_ Witch Weekly_, _The Wizard_'_s Voice_, and _The Wizarding World News_ snapped photos or took notes of her speech. "I am happy to report that the votes are in and as of this morning, I am very pleased to announce that I am your new Minister for Magic." Hermione took a breath then, and there was an excited clamor in the news stand section, which was quickly quieted down by their respective handlers, permitting Hermione to continue. "I take over this position from a brilliant wizard, known as Kingsley Shacklebolt, who announced his retirement in the wake of his former position coming up for re-election. Shacklebolt served valiantly on the side of the Light during the Second Wizarding War, and stood in as interim Minister for Magic, before being elected by a majority of his peers. He has held this position for over twenty years, and I cannot tell you how honored I am to succeed him in such a venture. I am the first female of Muggle birth to hold this position, as the last one to hold it with my Blood Status was male, and was one Nobby Leach, who has not held this title for well over fifty years. I am proud to hold my own against the government, who for so long were so intolerant of witches like me. But, I can say that I am so relieved that such a time has passed that I, too, have the opportunity to have a voice in the Wizarding World of politics. And, it is with a heavy heart that I make this my top priority, meaning that I am handing off the new Department of Muggle Rights within the Wizarding World to Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mr. Dean Thomas, who I know will do a wonderful job with the tasks they must accomplish." Hermione took another breath then, giving Draco and Dean a moment to allow the lights to shine upon them, as they waved to the enthusiastic crowd from their respective boxes. "Now, any minister needs all the help he or she can get, and it is with great fervor that I announce to you all that my personal assistant will be none other than Miss Lily Potter, the daughter of Potions Master and Professor for Hogwarts School and Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Lily?" Hermione said, turning around, and Lily managed to quickly hand Eileen back to Al, and got unsteadily to her feet, nearly blinded by the light as it hit her, and she gave a wave to the crowd below. "I want to thank you all to be here today, to celebrate my becoming your new minister," Hermione concluded, after Lily had slunk back into the shadows and taken ahold of Eileen again, "and now, I think we will open the floor to the newspapers and such for questions. Yes, Xenophilius Lovegood of _The Quibbler_?" she asked, inclining her head to the aging wizard with a bright smile.

"Did you know she was going to make that announcement about Lily?" Severus asked as Lily attempted to keep breathing from behind them.

"No," Harry replied, shaking his head at his husband. "But it's a wonderful government job, which is what she always wanted."

"She's more Potter than you realize," Severus put in.

Harry laughed. "Careful. She doesn't care for the fame."

"Neither did you," Severus replied, putting a hand on his husband's leg and squeezing it, making his husband blush.

. . .

Ever since he'd managed to finally achieve appropriate N.E.W.T.'s scores to graduate from Hogwarts, Al had settled in accordingly to his position as Official Potioneer at St. Mungo's Wizarding Hospital. It didn't hurt that his father and namesake was one of the best potion master's in Britain, let alone the world. Al had showed a proficiency for potions from the time he was a boy, and it couldn't have made Severus Snape more proud to have at least one of his children follow in his footsteps.

Al breezed in to the children's infirmary that morning, crossing to the final bed at the window, wherein sat little Henry Watkins, who was looking far more bright and alert than he'd been upon arrival. Henry was nine-years-old, and came from a Half-Blood wizarding family with a Pure-Blood mother and a Muggleborn wizard father, and he had showed wonderful bits of magic during his fortnight stay here. It was a pretty serious case of dragon pox that had brought the young wizard in, suffice it to say his French-born mother, Isabella Watkins, who had been a classmate of Gabriella Delacour, was a bit worried for her first child.

"How is our little patient today, Mrs. Watkins?" Al asked, pulling his chair beside the bed with a conspiratory wink at Henry, before giving his full attention to his mother.

"He's been doing much better, Master Potter," Mrs. Watkins replied in a patient manner, her French accent having faded drastically since marrying her husband, Desmond Watkins, shortly after her graduation from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. "It is the sneezing that doesn't seem to want to leave Henry, or the exhaustion."

"Yes, I see," Al replied, turning to regard Henry then; Al was pleased that his report the other day, regarding Henry's skin returning to its normal pigment, was a truth, and the rash seemed to have dissipated as well. "Perhaps a Pepper-Up potion is in order for the exhaustion. As for the rest, Mrs. Watkins, we'll continue to keep Master Henry in for observation until the sneezing and sparks stop. If that's all right with you, sir?" Al asked, grinning at his patient.

"It is too bad he didn't respond to the cure," Mrs. Watkins said softly. "I know that our girls miss their brother."

"As soon as the sneezing stops, Mrs. Watkins, Bernadette and Claudette are more than welcome to come and see Henry," Al told her softly.

"I miss them," Henry said, his normally energetic voice soft, as he spoke for the first time. "I don't want them having Daddy all to themselves."

"Aren't you happy that Mummy is here, darling?" Mrs. Watkins asked.

Henry grinned. "Of course, Mummy. Don't be sad."

"I'm not, darling, I'm not," Mrs. Watkins said quickly.

Al opened his mouth to speak again, but a nurse from the head of the ward came forward then and smiled at them.

"I've got the Pepper-Up potion for young Master Watkins," she said.

"Thank you, Helga," Al said, unstopping the vial and tipping it gently down his young patient's throat.

"And if you'll excuse me, Master Potter, but there's a Mrs. Longbottom-Malfoy in your office waiting to see you."

"Eloise?" Al asked, his curiosity piqued. "Well, now, I'd best get over to her. Thank you, Helga, really," he said, nodding his head. "I'll see you both tomorrow," he said quietly, shaking Mrs. Watkins's hand and saluting a nearly-asleep Henry as he left the ward completely.

Al made his way through the hallways and back towards his office; he greeted fellow doctors and nurses as he walked down the thoroughfare of the old wizarding hospital. No matter what setting he was in, from as far back as he could remember, Al always had to remain kind towards others, given his family name and the legacy that came with it. Not that he minded charismatic individuals who wanted a moment of his time; it was the obnoxious ones, he decided as he turned the final corner before his office, that could go straight to hell.

"Eloise," Al said, greeting her warmly as he stepped into his office, taking her by the hands and kissing her on the cheek. "So sorry to keep you waiting. I was seeing to a young patient of mine, I'm afraid."

"The little boy with dragon pox?" Eloise asked, her voice filled with understanding as she smiled in thanks at Al permitting her to sit down.

"Yes, that's the one," Al affirmed, sitting behind his desk. "He's still sneezing a bit, and the exhaustion is weakening him."

Eloise shook her head. "Poor boy," she said.

"But this, of course, is about you," Al said, quickly smiling at her, and Eloise promptly returned the smile. "What can I do for you?"

Eloise bit her lip, immediately appearing concerned. "This is... Well, suffice it to say, it is a sensitive matter, one I didn't feel comfortable discussing with the Longbottom-Malfoy family physician, you see."

Al nodded quickly in understanding, and spelled the door to his office closed, and put up a Silencing Spell to boot. "There, now. Now nobody shall hear the conversation, Eloise. I promise to help as much as I am able."

Eloise nodded. "I know you will," she said softly, and let out a small sigh. "Scorpius and I... We have been having difficulties in conceiving."

Al raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I see."

"My mother got pregnant with the two of us after three years of marriage, not for a lack of trying, of course. She recently told me that she had to use a fertility potion, unknowing to her Muggle husband, of course. But once she had us and we showed signs of magic, he left the family, and we haven't heard from him again."

Al sighed, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry, Eloise. No one should have to go through such a devastating thing so young, or at all."

Eloise smiled. "Thank you, but I'm all right, really. I'm just convinced that my inability to conceive naturally... Well, I think it is my fault, or, rather from my half of the family, you see, as Neville and Draco had both Scorpius and Alice, not to mention Frank and Alice having Neville, and Lucius and Narcissa having Draco."

"You're asking me for a fertility potion, then, I take it?"

Eloise nodded. "Yes, I am. Money is no object, of course; I'll pay whatever is required. I just want this to stay between us. That's all I ask."

Al smiled at her. "From the moment you stepped in here requesting my help, I became your potion master, Eloise. Like doctors, there is a confidentiality agreement. It doesn't matter that Scorpius is my best friend; I'm obligated not to tell him anything we discuss here if you don't want me to."

Eloise sighed in relief. "Thank you so much," she said with relief. "Will you have to brew the potion, or do you have them on hand?"

"I keep a few vials of Puer Caritate on hand," Al said, getting to his feet and crossing the room, accessing a locked cabinet, hidden behind a Vanishing Spell. He unlocked it quickly and stared at the bottles inside of it, grabbing one deep blue glass and casting an Unbreakable Charm upon it before locking and vanishing the cupboard again. "Now," he went on, returning to his place behind his desk, "as for the matter of payment..."

"Yes, of course," Al replied. "I brew them myself, and since you're practically family, I'll give you a discount. Shall we say, a thousand galleons?"

Eloise grinned at him then, spelling the coins out from her purse, which boasted an undetectable extension charm, onto the top of his desk. "Done," she replied. Once the correct amount of coins had moved into place, Al handed over the bottle to her, and walked her out of the office, waving goodbye as Eloise disappeared with a crack.

. . .

Suffice it to say that Lily had successfully managed to ignore the entire Longbottom-Malfoy clan—save for Alice—in the wake of the announcement at Christmas that Scorpius and Eloise were expecting their first child. After the holidays, Lily found herself underneath piles and piles of paperwork to scan before she handed them off to Hermione. It was a new normal for her, and, given that Eileen was due to turn two the following month, all she truly cared about was earning a decent living in order to give her daughter everything she deserved. Not that the wizarding government was unimportant, but everything else would pale in comparison to her devotion to her only child.

As she looked through the check-list document—a paper that fulfilled requirements on urgency, necessity, and all other things deemed important by Hermione, before she would even think to see any bills—she heard a pair of expensive shoes from outside her office. Her office; it was an amusing thing that, given that her door was always open, as she was the guard, so to speak, that could prevent people from just waltzing in willy-nilly into see the Minister of Magic. Granted, Hermione had extensive wards put up just in case, but Lily liked the notion that she was the gatekeeper, of sorts.

"The minister has a meeting until lunch, and she will be speaking some time with her family, followed by the January budget meeting. If you would like to make an appointment with her, you'll have to see me for that..." Lily cut herself off then, feeling her face turning white as she bolted to her feet, seeing Scorpius standing on the other side of her desk. "H... Hi," she somehow managed to get out, yanking a bit on her plait, which Hermione tried to convince her to keep in a bun, but Lily thought it too severe a style for her, so it just kept flowing freely down her back, getting longer and longer as the months went by. "How can I help you?" she asked, knowing that she needed to keep the conversation going.

"I came to make an appointment with Hermione, but it seems as though she's a bit busy today, but I assumed you knew that, on both accounts," Scorpius said, a gentle chuckle escaping his lips—his beautiful lips—which made Lily flush and look down. "When would she be available to see me?"

"Um, let's see," Lily said, sitting back down and pulling Hermione's official calendar towards her. "Oh. Have a seat," she muttered from the side of her mouth as she scanned the upcoming dates, thinking to herself. "She has an availability next Tuesday at two, for about twenty minutes before another meeting of hers. Will that suffice, or do you need more time? In which the next appointment isn't for another three weeks after that, and then you'd only get an hour..."

"Next Tuesday is fine," Scorpius said, and Lily nodded, hastily penciling him in. "The Improper Use of Magic Office gives me some days, here and there, especially because I'm in charge of scheduling and event planning for the Department of Civil Right of Muggles within the Wizarding World," he explained, and Lily briefly looked up at him before she looked over the next several days on Hermione's behalf. "What with the baby coming next summer, it's always good to have a little breathing room."

"Ye... Yeah," Lily said, stumbling over the English language again as she unnecessarily slammed the calendar shut, and peered up at Scorpius. "Well, now that that's settled, you'd best return to your department now, Scorpius."

Scorpius blinked, unused to being brushed-off. "Look, Lily, I know things got intense last summer at your dad's party, but that's all behind us now, right?"

Lily swallowed, lowering her eyes and attempting to busy herself with another task, hoping that Scorpius would take the hint and go away.

"Because, I know I stepped out of line, severely, last time we had a proper conversation," he went on, obviously not taking the hint. "I know that you've moved on now—clearly, because Eileen is here," he went on, and Lily let out a huffing sound. "And now that Eloise is expecting a baby, I think it would be good for us to act more mature—"

"Oh, I'll show you mature!" Lily growled under her breath, spelling Scorpius through the door and attempted to summon it closed behind him. She let out a growl of annoyance when Scorpius managed to get through beforehand, and shot up to her feet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she demanded through her teeth.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing, Lily," Scorpius replied, never taking his eyes from hers, and their mutual heavy breathing certainly wasn't helping things. "I think I should ask you the same thing, though. What are you doing?"

Lily shook her head at him then, and stomped past him, only to struggle opening her own office door. "Fuck," she whispered, becoming more and more convinced that Scorpius had cast a locking spell, thus preventing either party from leaving until this was resolved. "I want you to leave, Scorpius," she said, somehow managing to keep her voice under control, which was easier to do, now that she wasn't looking at him. "Apparate out of here, unlock the goddamned door—I don't give a shit. Just get out. I have a bunch of work to do and I won't have a little boy prevent me from doing it."

"Little boy?" Scorpius demanded then, his voice soft with unequalled rage as he stepped towards her, his breath hot on her neck, which caused her to stiffen at the sudden change in temperature around her. "That's rich coming from you, Lily. Given that you're the one acting like a child right now."

Lily swallowed then, finding that she was glued to the spot in front of him, founding that she enjoyed the delicious sensation of being afraid to move. "You made me like this, and you know it," she ground out, still speaking through her teeth.

"Was that an admission?"

"Maybe," Lily allowed.

"Interesting," Scorpius drawled, "because it sounds like you feel guilty about something."

Lily sighed, and yet still remained stiff. "We all feel guilty for things, Scorpius. Nobody can manage to live a perfect life."

Scorpius reached out then, towards Lily's fingers, and a soft gasp of surprise escaped his lips when Lily clung to them unexpectedly. "What could you possibly have to feel guilty about in your life, Lily? Name one thing."

Lily trembled then; maybe it was him accurately assuming she had something to hide, or perhaps it was the tremors he evoked from her whenever he touched her. She knew she had to think of something, and fast, because he likely wouldn't unlock the door until she coughed something up for him. "I was a Hatstall," she said at last.

Scorpius didn't remove his fingers from Lily's grip, but merely stared at the back of her head, finding that he felt disappointed in the confession, although not entirely so. "Which other house did the hat consider?"

"Yours. Slytherin," Lily replied.

"And why would the hat do that?" he wanted to know.

Lily swallowed then, and replied, "Maybe because I'm in love with one," in Parseltongue, which, of course, Scorpius couldn't speak, but he was well-aware of what the language sounded like to human ears.

The shock that ripped through him then caused him to rip his fingers out of Lily's grasp, and it wasn't long before he took her by her shoulders and yanked her around. "Lily, talk to me," he begged her then, gazing down at her as he cupped her face in his hands.

She blinked. "What?" she whispered, back in English.

"We used to be so close," Scorpius said then, his voice shaking with emotion. "You kept pushing me away after I told you the truth..."

Lily swallowed. "I did..."

"Why can't you afford me the same treatment? Tell me the truth."

Lily shook her head then, willing herself to use all the magic she could, and she finally heard the door click open from behind her, and flew open completely. "I can't do that," she replied then, her voice resigned, causing Scorpius to drop his hands from her face.

"Why?" he whispered.

Lily gently took him by the arm then, guiding him outside her office, and planting him there before she wandlessly re-established her wards, preventing him from crossing the threshold without permission. "Because," she said simply, "you'd just end up pushing me away once you discover the truth," she concluded, before shutting the door softly on his face. She turned around then, and leaned against the door, forcing herself not to break down until she'd casted a Silencing Charm, and after she heard him finally walk away.


	8. Ill Breathe When You Try To Suffocate Me

In the week that followed Eileen's second birthday, Lily found herself growing accustomed to the quiet around the house once again. She'd hosted her daughter's birthday, this time around, although Molly had come over bright and early to help with the food, with Hermione showing up shortly thereafter to assist with the decorations. The end result was Eileen being treated like quite the little princess—although what else was new, really?—and as Lily stepped into the living room, holding tightly to the plate which housed the cake Molly had especially baked for Eileen, she watched as her daughter's eyes filled with excitement.

The house was quiet on Monday evening, just after Lily had put Eileen to bed down the hallway and around the corner, and was taking the liberty of doing a quick tidying up of the living room, for Eileen had fallen asleep, her nose in a potion's book for beginners, from Severus, which she had gotten for her birthday, and had been too tired to pick up her things herself. As Lily finished spelling the books back into Eileen's little case by the window, and her toys in the box just below that, she was surprised when her Floo flared unexpectedly.

Pocketing her wand, she ventured towards the hearth and knelt before it. "Hello?" she asked, peering into the flames. "Aiden? That you?"

"Yeah," Aiden said with a chuckle. "Just got back from Austria tonight. The Graphorn is far more elusive a creature than we thought."

"You manage to find any horns?" Lily asked; as the daughter and older sister of a potioneer, she knew a thing or two about this subject, her Outstanding's in it on both her O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s notwithstanding.

"Yes, some of them were nearby the camp," Aiden replied. "I sent them via owl to St. Mungo's earlier this evening. Al's working the late shift and he got back to me, letting me know that he appreciated the donation."

"That's good," Lily said. "How's Mara doing?"

"She'll never forgive me for saying this, but the twins are exhausting her to no end," Aiden put in with a loving smile at the thought of his wife.

"They demanding to know the number of days until their birthday?" Lily asked, very aware of Eileen's words ringing in her mind in the weeks leading up to hers.

"Unfortunately, yes, and it's not until the end of March, unfortunately," Aiden replied. "Mara's already told me that these will be our only children."

Lily smirked. "You okay with that?"

"I'm okay with whatever she wants," Aiden said. "And you? Think you'll have any more children after Eileen?"

Lily sighed. "Well, I'm not planning on it, at this point. Have to find someone to settle down with eventually, if I ever want it to happen for me, I suppose."

"You're raising Eileen alone."

Lily nodded. "I know, and it's wonderful not having to share her, believe me. But I don't want to have to do it again."

Aiden sighed then, obviously wanting to get something off his chest. "Look, Mara's sleeping, and I need to talk about something important..."

Lily blinked. "Well, I obviously can't leave—Eileen is asleep in the next room," she said quietly to him. "Would you care to come through?"

Aiden nodded. "I think that's best," he replied. It took a moment, but once Aiden came through the Floo and got his bearings, Lily was standing expectantly opposite him. "Look, I know this is coming out of left field, given that there's a significant amount of time that's past. But I've got married soon after finding out that Mara and I were expecting, and then came the business opportunity for the department..."

"You're spiraling," Lily said, forcing a laugh through her lips so as she didn't sound completely like Severus. "It's all right, Aiden. Just tell me what's bothering you."

"It's not that I'm being accusatory to you, Lily, please understand that," Aiden went on. "But if Eileen's my daughter and you've been keeping it from me, I think I have a right to know. And, if she is mine, I'd like to see her, and sit her down eventually when she's old enough and possibly explain the situation. Obviously, Mara and I would be more than willing to open our home to her now and again, and money is no object, as I'm sure you can understand..."

Lily raised up her hands immediately then, which cut Aiden off. "Aiden, you honestly don't have anything to worry about, because Eileen isn't yours," she told him.

Aiden blinked. "But, she was born in February, and we were still together nine months before that, so unless you..."

Lily scoffed. "I didn't stray when we were together, Aiden, trust me. I was happy with you, and I was also so busy with those reports from Luna and Rolf, that I really wouldn't have had time to run off with someone else." She bent down then, for Isis had sensed her mistress's tense manner and had come at the run, prompting Lily to scoop her up into her arms, to which Isis meowed in a rather indulgent manner.

"So, what are you telling me here?" Aiden asked.

Lily smirked. "Eileen was born prematurely," Lily explained. "She was about a month early. As a matter of fact, my labor began at your house. I didn't tell Mara about it because I didn't want to worry her. I had her on my own, right where you're standing," she said, pointing to it, which directly caused Aiden to yelp and jump to the side.

"My reaction is hardly funny," Aiden said, shooting a glare at Lily, who laughed.

"Sorry," Lily said between snorts, "but it's incredibly funny."

"So, if Lily was born a month early, then you had to have had relations after you and I decided to end things?" Aiden wanted to know.

Lily nodded. "That's true. It was in Norway, when it happened, and you were back here in England by that time, with Mara," she said patiently. "So, to make a long story short and less complicated, Aiden, Eileen is not your child. And if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to keep the identity of her father a secret."

Aiden held up his hands. "It's none of my business, anyway," he assured her. "It would only be my business if she was my daughter, and she's not."

Lily shook her head at him. "She's not. Although, I'm sure if she was, you would have made her feel as loved and appreciated and valued at Asher and Louisa feel."

Aiden nodded at her. "I would have. Mara, too. I know she would. It's one of the reasons why I married her, because she's so kind."

Lily nodded back at him. "And because you love her."

Aiden grinned. "That, too." He reached out then and squeezed Lily's shoulder. "I know the love of your life is out there, Lily. You'll find them."

Lily smiled at him but shook her head. "Even if I don't, Aiden, it's quite all right. I have Eileen and Isis, my position at the ministry, my family... I live a full life, and I am content the way it is, and see no reason to change it."

"Life isn't about being content, Lily. It's about being happy."

"Don't they just mean the same thing?"

Aiden grinned. "Not the way I see it. I feel that content is on the same bar as 'fine'. You're all right with how things are, and, while you're welcome to change, you don't actively go about seeking it. As for happiness, it's a delirious feeling that you wish on other people you care about deeply, and if someone you care about isn't involved directly in this feeling, you want to make sure they make an effort to do so."

Lily laughed aloud again. "Well, perhaps I don't need delirium."

"Perhaps not at the moment," Aiden said, turning around and grabbing a handful of Floo Powder and tossing it into the grate, "because you've settled."

Lily blinked. "I've not settled!"

"Lily, my sweet friend, you've settled," Aiden told her, his tone gentle. "You've fallen into a routine that, while you're convinced is satisfying you, is, in fact, a wildly dull experience because you're without romantic fulfillment."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Perhaps you should become a poet."

"I intend to—and perhaps I shall specialize in the love sonnet!" Aiden proclaimed, stepping into the flames backwards, and disappearing.

. . .

Lily arrived at work at the ministry during the second week of March a bit more energized than she had previously been, now that some warmth was creeping its way into England now that spring was officially on the horizon. She hurried into her office and sipped at her morning cup of tea from the employee café a few floors below, and searched through the incoming mail that the owls had just delivered about a quarter of an hour ago, and brought to her desk promptly. As she sipped at her hot beverage, she mulled over the bits and bobs of mail, as well as her list of tasks for that day.

Hermione was already in her first morning meeting, and would have the undersecretary taking minutes and notes upon it, while Lily was tasked with the more 'higher-up' tasks, as her official title was 'chief of staff and assistants to the Minister of Magic'. Not that Lily minded the jobs put out for her; in fact, what Muggles called 'busy work' was something that Lily thrived off of, given that it provided ample distractions from her personal life for nine hours a day, five days a week, off weekends, two weeks for Christmas, and a few weeks every summer. It was also a marvelous payment plan that Hermione had set up for her on her behalf, and she was equally surprised when the board had approved of it so quickly.

After Lily had been working for a few hours, Hermione breezed into her office after her morning meeting and peered at Lily's progress. "Looks wonderful, dear," she complimented, squeezing her shoulder affectionately. "If you're not too busy, perhaps you'd like to join me for lunch in Diagon Alley. That posh bistro just decided to begin serving lunch last week, but with Ronald so busy with the task force alongside your father, I haven't had anyone to go with."

"Love to, I've managed about half the tasks already today, mostly fire-calls to various people to get them on our side. The other governments have been a bit standoffish of late," Lily put in, pulling on her sweater and following Hermione to her office, where they would use her Floo to get into the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.

Hermione sighed a little sigh then, shaking her head. "I don't doubt your ability to work with the system in place for a moment, Lily," she told her gently. "Sometimes other governments are a bit nervous to come out in support of a new regime right away. I've only held my position for six months, so perhaps things will go our way soon."

Lily nodded as Hermione said the password for the Floo and tossed in some powder. "I'm sure it'll happen, Aunt Hermione," she replied, as the pair of them stepped into the grate and were taken directly to Diagon Alley. Lily kept her head high, but not pompous, matching Hermione's walk and body language to a T as they traipsed through the pub and towards the back, ignoring the excited whispers around them, where the brick wall greeted them. Quickly, Lily too her wand from her pocket and tapped the series of bricks while Hermione stood back, proudly watching her niece's effortless magic as the bricks cleared the way and permitted them to pass.

"Just down the main road a bit, near Ollivander's," Hermione explained, and Lily nodded, moving after her, the brick wall moving back into place behind them, for the both of them had a schedule to keep, and Lily couldn't afford to keep her waiting.

When they finally reached the edge of the cobblestone lane, the infamous wand shop was just to their left, and Hermione continued until just around the corner, where an impressive, pale green sign with muted golden letters read Le Phénix Dansant, wrapped around the middle of the roof of the early French colonial style building, similar to the wand shop, except this one had diamond paned windows surrounding it in sets of three. The dark fir wood Dutch door spelled open automatically for the two witches, leading them into an expansive entryway, with a maitre d awaiting the pair of them, a spiral staircase just behind him, a formal dining room to the left, and a dark wood pub to the right, where some early drinkers, mostly men, were gruffly talking and clanging their bottles of Butterbeer.

"Minister, Miss Potter," said the maitre d, clearly starstruck by the two of them as he stepped forward, a pair of black, leather-bound menus in his immaculate hands. "This is truly an honor to have you here. Table for two, for lunch?"

"Yes, please," Hermione replied, smiling politely at the man, who looked as if he could faint due to the Minister of Magic speaking to him.

"Right this way, please, ladies," he replied, clearing his throat and leading them into the dining room, the highly-polished, white marble floor, which was off-set by miniature black tiles to create a constant diamond patter, positively gleaming beneath their feet. The man found them an intimate, round booth table, done up in Gryffindor colors, towards the back, a miniature chandelier with floating candles inside it just above the table, held on tightly to the menus as Lily and Hermione sat down, before he handed over a menu to Hermione and lastly to Lily, before he smiled at them both again. "Can I get either of you ladies anything at all while you're waiting for your drinks?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Hermione replied, once she'd caught Lily's slight shake of her head. "We'll be just fine, thank you."

"Of course," the man said, spelling goblets out of nowhere, with a quick Aguamenti spell under his breath to go into them, and bowed slightly to the pair of them, he flitted back off towards his station in the entryway.

"They have some elf-made champagne from Vieille," Hermione said, having already opened her menu and was admiring the drink section first. "Sound good, Lily?"

Lily nodded. "Lovely. Thank you," she said softly.

"Good," Hermione said. "Now, shall we go the whole nine yards?" At Lily's questioning expression from over her water goblet, went on, "Appetizers, starters, followed by respective entrees and desserts. That is, if you're hungry."

"Are you hungry, Aunt Hermione?"

"Absolutely famished," Hermione admitted with a small giggle. "This position, although I am thankful to have it, takes a lot out of me, and I love a pick-me-up now and again."

"Very well, then," Lily replied. "Eileen was hell-bent on making me late this morning, so unfortunately, there was only time for her to have a tuck-in."

Hermione gleamed in understanding at Lily's plight, and ordered a bottle of the champagne she'd suggested when the waiter arrived. After the bottle was presented and placed into the ice bucket, Hermione then proceeded to order cheese Gougères for them to share, before she decided on Niçoise salad, coq au vin, and a lemon tart to finish off the meal. She then looked to Lily, who effortlessly selected the tourin soup, pan-fried veal with Gratin Dauphinois, and crème brûlée for dessert.

"Go out much for meals while you were in Scandinavia?" Hermione asked, sipping her goblet of champagne after they'd ordered.

Lily nodded. "I did, yes. I tried pickled herring for the first time while I was in Sweden, as a matter of fact."

An amused smile played at Hermione's lips. "I never thought you were too terribly fond of sea creatures, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes as she too sampled her champagne. "I'm not. The herring itself did nothing for me, apart from some retching afterwards. Thankfully, it was Aiden who ordered the fish itself, not I. He merely bet me a sickle that I wouldn't try it."

"What did you do, then?"

Lily smirked, and Hermione was amazed at how much she resembled her former potion's professor in that moment. "Raised the stakes to a galleon, before sampling the dreaded creature and spending the next several hours in bed. Aiden just supposed it was a case of hypochondriasis, but, it turned out the fish had been undercooked."

Hermione looked shocked at the declaration. "I take it that you have decidedly stayed away from fish since then?"

Lily nodded. "People inform me that I'm missing out, but I don't much care. I like what I like, and eating fish isn't an obligation, whether you're a witch or Muggle."

Hermione smiled as their cheese Gougères arrived. "Very aptly put." She reached out, only taking one after Lily had done so, and gently pulled it apart, a scent of fresh bread and an assortment of cheese filling her nostrils. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to inform you of the true purpose of this lunch."

Lily set down her Gougère before even taking a bite. "Has that little rabbit undersecretary of yours made her play for my position again?"

Hermione laughed aloud and shook her head. "No. Mildred Beck has learned her lesson, dear, never fear."

Lily nodded, filled with relief. "Good."

"I actually wanted to come to a neutral setting to ask you to help me plan a ball," she said, and Lily raised her eyebrows. "A celebration, if you would, for the end of the Second Wizarding War, as its been nearly twenty-five years. I would put it on next year, but I really want to showcase a lovely get-together while I'm still considered 'fresh' in the eyes of the Wizengamot and the press, you see."

Lily nodded. "Sounds reasonable, I suppose. What would you need from me?"

"Lists of possibilities of places for us to have it—I'm thinking of a neutral location, not in Muggle territory, of course—places that can cater the event, and what you believe appropriate dress and music or entertainment would be for the evening. Once you and I come up with a decent amount of suggestions that I've approved, I'll go to the Wizengamot myself and they will have the final say, along with me."

"When did you think of having this?" Lily asked.

"The twenty-first of May," Hermione replied. "It is a Friday that night. In the Muggle world, most parties are held on a weekend day, so as the next day can be spent recovering, so to speak. I expect a great-many people indulging in Firewhiskey," she joked. "Of course, it gets plenty of people into trouble to say the least."

Lily laughed at the insinuation. "I suppose so, although I'm not sure I would have ever gotten the courage to lose my virginity without it," she quipped.

Hermione blinked. "How old were you?"

"Seventeen," Lily said unabashedly, continuing to sip her champagne.

"So, you and Teddy, you never...?"

Lily shook her head. "No, we didn't. I'm surprised Rose never mentioned that fact to you. We never got close, because I wasn't ready. I suppose that's why Teddy went for Victoire, not only because of her beauty, but her willingness to...be close." She hunched her shoulders then, and flushed at the memory.

"Who was it with, then?"

Lily blinked, staring owlishly at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head then. "Sorry, sorry, that was rude of me..."

"It was Scorpius," Lily confessed then, the word falling from her lips. "It wasn't supposed to happen, but we were both half-drunk on Firewhiskey, and I was hurting because Teddy had ended things with me, and I begged Scorpius to make me forget..."

"You were young," Hermione said simply with an understanding air about her. "No one is to blame, my dear. No one."

Lily swallowed then. "I suppose I wish I could take back my first time. You're lucky, about only being with Uncle Ron. You don't have anything to take back."

"Oh, but I do," Hermione said gently. "It was actually your Aunt Ginny that had the decency to inform your Uncle Ron that I snogged Viktor Krum when I was fourteen."

Lily felt as if her eyes were about to pop out of her head. "You did?"

"I did," Hermione told her with a small smile. "Caused quite a rift, too. In fact, it's what led Ron to date Aiden's mother, Lavender Brown, for a few months. Broke my heart, too. He did make up for it during his proposal, however, and we forgave one another. It just helps now that we don't discuss certain situations in the past that may cause pain."

"Do you wish you'd not snogged Krum?" Lily wanted to know.

Hermione sighed then, mulling it over as she tipped a bit more champagne down her throat. "In all honesty, not really. At the time, I really liked him, and I didn't see Ron as much more than an immature boy I was friends with. I didn't see Ron fully in a different light until the end of our fifth-year, because, over the summer, we spent time together at the Burrow before your dad arrived, and I believed that we were going to be a couple presently. Took another few months, though, and it was in the wake of Dumbledore's funeral that we found one another, almost as if it was for the first time," she mused, her eyes misty.

"Aiden tells me I'm settled," Lily said softly.

Hermione's brown brows knit together then. "How do you mean?"

"In my way of life, I suppose. He says that I've become used to the routine I've made for myself and for Eileen, and that it appears to be that I won't want a partner."

Hermione considered that. "And do you? Want a partner, I mean."

Lily sighed, shaking her head. "Do I? Yes. The problem is, I cannot have him," she said, downing what was left in her goblet before filling it again, and, by that time, the waiter had arrived again, and the topic was dropped, while all the while Lily stared out the diamond paned window at a raven, perched atop a branch, and wondered how long the black, inquisitive avian had been there.

. . .

Eloise nibbled at her bottom lip, staring at herself in her Venetian glass, floor-length mirror in the master bedroom suite of Longbottom Lodge. Upon her marriage to Scorpius, Neville and Draco had moved in to Malfoy Manor to care for aging Lucius and Narcissa, so the smaller of the two family homes was now under Eloise's control. It was a rare day off from the Pest Advisory Bureau at the ministry, and Eloise was in a state of perpetual panic, knowing full well that she couldn't go on like this.

"Why won't you give me what I want?" she whispered, clutching at her small stomach with a look of discouragement. "The goddamned potion was supposed to benefit me in more ways that one, and it failed utterly, while those less-deserving have children, I, the most deserving woman on the planet, have nothing to show for it."

She trembled slightly then; she'd known from reading the old texts of the Wizarding World, now regulated to the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library, that old Pure-Blood families needed an heir from the son, or eldest child, of the family. Since they were such old texts, they were truly considered outdated source material but, given the prevalence of the authors of such texts and their history connected directly to them, they had not yet been disposed of. Since she was sixteen-years-old, Eloise had been scouring the Pure-Blood Registry, looking for a suitable candidate to be her bonded partner, who could give her the life she'd always believed she deserved, from the bottom of her heart.

"Darling!" called Scorpius from the main hearth in the parlor downstairs. "I'm home! Where have you gotten to, love?"

"I'm up here! Be right down!" she called back, casting a quick spell on her hair, followed by the whispered words of, "Gravida Ventris," before she went downstairs.

"Hello, love!" Scorpius greeted as soon as Eloise came down the staircase and into the parlor with a pleasant smile on her face. "Feeling any better since this morning?" he wanted to know, as he cupped her now-swollen belly.

Eloise gleamed up at him. "I am, yes. Had a bit of a kip after breakfast, and felt well enough to run out to the shops. We're having your favorite tonight, darling."

Scorpius lifted his nose then, one arm around Eloise's waist and the other pressed gently to her stomach, and inhaled the air. "Roast chicken?" he asked, looking back down at his wife. "Merlin, what did I do to deserve you?"

Eloise let out a slight twitter then, putting her arms around Scorpius without answering him, but she could sense that there wasn't as much warmth as there could have been in the gesture, on his side of things, and it worried her to no end.

. . .

Lily felt a lump form in her throat as soon as Hermione finished speaking to her that morning, on the third day of April, and, as her mouth fell open, she found that English was truly failing her, for the moment. "Excuse me, could you repeat that, please, Aunt Hermione?" she asked, her tone slightly strangled.

"Of course," Hermione said, signing her name onto something before rolling up the piece of parchment, and handing it off to the waiting owl. "See that Minerva gets that quickly," she said softly to it, stroking its feathers before it flew out her open window. It was a beautiful early spring day, and Hermione liked the windows open to get at some of the fresh air. As the owl departed, she turned to look upon Lily for the first time, and let out a soft sigh, knowing full well that Lily had heard her, and the poor thing was now in a state of shock. "You and Scorpius are to go and look at some venues for the upcoming ball, as well as tour a handful of restaurants who have made the catering list."

"And how long do we have to do this?" Lily replied, her tone level; Lily truly didn't understand how she was managing to cope with all of this, and felt herself constantly forcing her body not to turn into a puddle of nerves.

"A week," Hermione replied. "Don't worry—both your jobs will be here when you return, and I've cleared it with the Improper Use of Magic Office," she went on, assuring her.

"I'll not leave Eileen," Lily said, her tone quick. "I must have time to return home to pack and collect her from nursery school. I must have my daughter with me at all times, Aunt Hermione; such a thing is nonnegotiable."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Yes, of course, my dear. Scorpius has been aware of this since last evening, and suspected you would be taking her with you. Thankfully, I managed to owl ahead to all the places and informed them, and they were utterly delighted to accommodate your little girl as well."

Lily sighed in relief, one hurdle passed. She bit her lip then, knowing that she had to ask one more question. "You've gotten my request?"

"For your transfer, yes," Hermione replied, nodding. "You've completed all the pre-requisite work required for it last summer, and passed with flying colors, according to the high-education bureau, now all that remains is a sign-off by me."

Lily nodded. "You'll not give me your answer until after this assignment I'm forced to go on, I take it?" she asked.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed, utterly amused with Lily's biting attitude. "I came to a decision the moment after I read the report, and your request," she told her, a smile on her face. "I knew you couldn't be my Chief of Staff forever, Lily; you're meant for better things, far better than this. If working as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries is truly what you want, I won't stand in your way."

Lily smiled, relief pouring through her. "Thank you," she said.

Hermione nodded. "Of course. Have you told Harry, Severus, Al, and Alice yet?"

Lily shook her head. "Not yet, no."

"May I ask why?" Hermione asked. "Not about you not telling them, that's your business. I mean why would you elect to be an Unspeakable?"

Lily rolled her shoulders. "Well, a massive part of the job is keeping secrets. I've proven to be a master at that practice." She smiled at her aunt. "Why not bring myself into the world where I have to do it for a living?"

. . .

It was an exhausting week of somehow managing to appear civil towards Scorpius in public, but once the day was over, so was the obligation, and she would haul Eileen back into their separate hotel room, like clockwork. She never let her daughter be alone with Scorpius, for fear that he would discover the secret, and potentially mention it to Eloise, and she could never risk that woman getting her claws into her little girl. The only drawback was that their rooms were next door to one another in the hotel and, by some stupid architect's bright idea, the balconies were literally joined at the hip.

Swallowing her pride, Lily wandered out onto the balcony on the final night, sipping a glass of elf-made wine that Severus had given her before her departure. Her limbs were aching after a long day, and the wine seemed to numb them ever so slightly. Turning around, she smiled at the sight of Eileen, just in the next room, sleeping soundly; however, the quiet of the night did not continue, for the rolling door of Scorpius's room opened.

"Oh, sorry," he said, hesitating for a moment.

Lily sighed, and shook her head. "It's all right," she said, and levitated the bottle. "Would you like a glass?"

Scorpius read the bottle in the setting sun. "Severus give that to you?"

"Out of his generous stores," she replied, wandlessly summoning another glass for Scorpius, who caught it once it arrived.

"Eileen really is charming," Scorpius said, tipping some wine into his glass before banishing it back to the table in between them. "So polite, for one so young. She is a credit to you, Lily, I mean that."

Lily smiled; she had always been a sucker for anyone complimenting her daughter. "Well, I suppose teaching manners is beneficial once they can understand you," she replied, watching as Scorpius sipped from his glass.

"Teaching is a wonderful thing," Scorpius put in. "Ever think you'll go back to Hogwarts? You were President of the Charms Club. Ever fancy yourself taking over for Flitwick?"

Lily snorted into her wine glass, and Scorpius looked amused at the sound emoting from her. "I don't see myself teaching professionally," she replied, shaking her head.

"Too happy working for Hermione?"

"I actually gave my notice just a few days before we left," she replied, turning to look at Scorpius with the most genuine smile she'd given him in years.

"Your notice?" Scorpius asked, looking confused. "You're leaving?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. I am."

"Not going far, I hope?" he asked, lowering his eyes into his wine, obviously in an attempt to distract himself.

"I'm not leaving Britain, Scorp. Merely changing departments." She shrugged a little then when Scorpius looked back up at her. "I couldn't be a Chief of Staff forever—my heart just wasn't in the position and, to be honest with you, Hermione kind of sprung the opportunity on me when she was elected into office. To refuse a minister in a public setting like that..." She shook her head at him with a small smile. "One would think you were against the Wizengamot. After all my family has been through, I couldn't put them through shame like that. And the pay was decent enough, even though it wasn't my cup of tea on the whole. It served as a distraction, more than anything else."

"So, which department has inherited you, then?"

Lily chuckled. "The Department of Mysteries," she said quietly. "They've sent me a generous offer while we've been here, and I've already accepted it."

"An Unspeakable, then?" Scorpius asked.

Lily nodded. "Yes. Everyone assumed I'd be an Auror, like Dad, but this just seemed far more appealing to me. Dad was devastated, of course, but Papa was overjoyed that I'm finally on a path that I can be satisfied with."

"Satisfaction is a good thing within life," Scorpius put in.

Lily nodded. "I'm teaching Eileen that, about satisfaction and happiness going hand in hand, so to speak," she said quietly. "I like to see that she's happy, but I've taught her that being happy doesn't mean you trample others down to achieve it."

"Wise words," Scorpius said, looking truly moved because of them. "But I truly believe that one must practice what they preach, above all things."

Lily blinked, turning to look over at him. "Meaning?" she asked.

"Meaning that one must feel what they're teaching others is right," Scorpius replied. "In an essence, you must be happy before you encourage Eileen to be."

Lily sighed. "Why are people so suddenly convinced that I'm unhappy in my life? I'm perfectly happy," she muttered, taking a deep sip of wine.

"You're different, Lily," Scorpius observed quietly, and Lily felt her face flush. "You were so happy and carefree for years, but things changed during fifth-year, when you suspected that Teddy had feelings for Victoire."

Lily gritted her teeth. "Please, Scorpius. Don't mention him..."

"Lily, you need to get over the betrayal eventually," Scorpius said, his tone firm. "Yes, you were right about him falling for Victoire, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?!" Lily demanded, shooting immediately to her feet. "How can you say that to me, Scorpius?!"

"Because it was a teenage relationship which means nothing now."

"Nothing," Lily scoffed, staring at Scorpius as if she didn't even know him. "I don't care about the relationship aspect of it, Scorpius."

Scorpius blinked, utterly shocked at Lily's change of heart, given that she had seen so hung up on Teddy, for years now. "You're not?" he asked.

"I care that he lied to me, and attempted to convince me that I needed to see a goddamned mind healer," she growled through her teeth. "He told me that I had immature delusions and that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his loyalty to me as a partner. I think that, if you claim to love someone so strongly, you should never deceive them, or attempt to make them feel less than they're worth."

"Merlin, Lily, I didn't know," he whispered.

Lily sighed, her animosity floating off her in waves as her shoulders deflated. "No, you couldn't have known. I don't really talk about it much."

Scorpius shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Have I made a complete and total arse of myself?"

Lily smirked. "No more than usual, Scorp."

He lifted up his head then, staring openly at her, and Lily realized then that, the last time he'd looked at her that way, it had been in Norway. "Clear something up for me."

Lily swallowed. "If I can, I will, Scorpius."

"That night, in the astronomy tower, when you saved former Minister Shacklebolt's life from those dementors with your Patronus Charm," he replied, and Lily blinked, nearly trembling with fear at the memory. "Al, Rose, Teddy, and I all came running up there after Headmistress McGonagall and your parents..."

Lily nodded. "Yeah. I remember."

"You were still with Teddy, for the moment, at least."

Lily sighed. "I was."

"And yet, even with Harry, Severus, Al, and Rose there, in addition to Teddy, you chose to run to me, after the ordeal," Scorpius said quietly, almost as if he couldn't believe it himself. "I've always wondered..."

"Wondered what?" Lily whispered.

"Well, why you did that," he replied.

Lily shook her head at him then, her breath catching in her throat. "It doesn't matter," she said, far too quickly for it to be the truth as she attempted to turn away from him. "You yourself said that teenage relationships shouldn't mean anything..."

"Why are you hiding from this, from us?" Scorpius asked, walking up behind Lily, while all the while she trembled, and attempted to fight back tears. "Don't do this..."

Lily exhaled then, stifling a sob that threatened to escape her lips. "I have to do this, Scorpius; I have to do all of this. I mean, you've got Eloise with your family's ring on her finger, and your child in her belly..."

"Forget about Eloise and the baby for a minute," Scorpius begged, reaching out then and turning Lily around. "I don't want to walk away from you again, as I sure as shit don't want you to try to run from me. Not again, Lily."

Lily trembled beneath his fingers; not from fear, no, never from fear, not when it came to someone as captivating as Scorpius. "Please..."

"What, Lily? Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you, if I can."

Lily shuddered then, shutting her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. "Make it stop. Make all of it stop..."

"Make what stop, Lily?" Scorpius asked, reaching up then and gently cupping her face in his hand as he stared down at her.

Lily's eyes shot open then, her eyes never leaving her face. "The pain of my losing you," she whispered back to him.

Scorpius's eyes widened then, and even though the rational part of his mind told him to let Lily go, once and for all, his heart told him otherwise. Wandlessly and wordlessly banishing their wine glasses, Scorpius took Lily by the hand and dragged her into his room, just next door, and casted an abundance of wards and Silencing Charms as he began pulling Lily's clothes off, becoming encouraged as she did the same to him.

He took her by the waist then, bringing her up onto his bed, pressing his lips to hers, tasting her, and feeling himself growing larger in his loins as she moaned as his hands roamed everywhere around her. Scorpius soon came to the conclusion that Lily was sensitive everywhere to his touch, and the thought delighted him as he kissed every available surface afforded to him. As he felt himself grow too large to contain anymore, he put himself inside Lily then, and the delicious near-scream that escaped her beautiful lips set him on edge as he plunged deeper, as far as he could, into her core.

For the first time since they were together in Norway, Lily felt her toes curl. She felt whole for the first time in nearly three years, and positively wept at what she had lost. She knew full well that keeping Scorpius away from Eileen was not the best way to go about things, but since his marriage to Eloise, she was fearful for their daughter. And besides, she had no idea how he would react from being separated from her for so long. As Scorpius pumped in and out of her, however, sane thoughts escaped with the wind outside the balcony, and she gave way to the heady pleasure she'd denied herself for so long.

Once it had ended, Scorpius wrapped Lily in his arms, kissing her bare shoulder. "You are truly amazing, Lily," he whispered.

Lily sighed then, biting her lip; she may have not liked Eloise, feared her even, but she had literally just slept with another woman's husband. however, She could not deny it any longer that she could not stay away from Scorpius, as it was killing her. Rolling over then, Lily whispered to him, "Scorp, there's something I need to tell you."

Scorpius nodded. "All right, Lily. But I have to go first, otherwise I don't think I'll have the courage to tell you at all." He sighed then, and took a breath, before he spoke. "You tried to Obliviate me that night; you tried, and you failed," he stated simply, and Lily bolted upright in the bed then, and Scorpius copied her movements, and took her gently by the hand, stroking the back of it, and Lily immediately seemed to relax, somewhat. "You casted that spell because you were afraid; afraid of what Teddy perceived you to be; afraid of allowing yourself a little fun and happiness in your life. What I'm trying to tell you, here, Lily, is that the spell didn't work," he repeated, his tone always gentle, and Lily felt fresh tears in her eyes. "In that moment, your magic failed, because you knew you loved me, too, and you didn't want to leave me without the option of being with you. I left that day because you clearly didn't want me there, because you weren't ready, or because you were scared of me hurting you."

"Scorpius..." She tried.

Scorpius held up a hand. "I know what I did; me leaving hurt you. Me ignoring my feelings for you, just like you did with me, hurt you. Me marrying another woman clearly hurt you. One thing that I intend to do for the rest of my life is ensure that you'll never be hurt again. And do you know why I'm not going to hurt you anymore? It's because I'm in love with you, Lily Luna Potter," he declared then, and a soft gasp escaped Lily's lips. "I've loved you since we were kids, and it's something I tried to stop, but couldn't, because you are amazing, and courageous, and kind, and considerate, and thoughtful, and respectful, and responsible, and beautiful, and many more wonderful things. I would name them all, but I'd rather let you say what you want to say, and kiss you when you're done, if you actually want me to kiss you again, Lily..."

Lily sat there beside Scorpius then, positively trembling at his words, and knew, from the bottom of her heart, that, in this moment, this was not what she wanted. She couldn't want it... "I'm sorry, Scorpius," she whispered, shaking her head, knowing what Eloise could do to Eileen if she ever found out about this. "This... No. No, I can't do this," she said softly to him then, spelling her clothes back on herself and running out of the room.

"Lily, wait, please! LILY!" Scorpius screamed, going after her, only able to catch a glimpse of her summoning her clothes into her trunk, and gathering Eileen into her arms before she Disapparated from her room.

When Lily arrived back in Wales, she warded the house doubly, and locked her Floo. Clutching Eileen close against her, she promptly put her to bed, and stood motionless in the front hallway then, the tears suspended on her lashes. Isis didn't bother to come out of hiding, and Lily forgave her, as it was so late in the day, and the sun had set long ago. She trudged into the kitchen, not quite wanting to go to bed yet, and filled a glass of water, deep in thought, as she attempted to keep her sobs silent so as Eileen would stay asleep.

Finding she was too distressed to drink a simple glass of water, Lily emptied it into the sink, watching the droplets swirl briefly around before ultimately giving up and going down the drain at the center of the sink. Raising her eyes, she stared out at the darkness, the barely-there crescent moon surrounded by stars staring back at her. And, for a brief moment, she caught sight of a raven, suspended on a lone telephone wire, still there from before this had been a wizarding neighborhood, staring directly at her. However, a moment later, the black winged bird was gone, leaving Lily desperately alone and with her muddled thoughts.


End file.
